Typhoon Wipha entered the East Sea early Saturday, becoming the third storm of the year, and is forecast to bring widespread rain to northern and north-central Vietnam, weather officials said.
As of 7 am on July 19, Wipha was moving northwest with maximum sustained winds of 75–88 km/h and gusts up to 117 km/h, according to Mai Van Khiem, Director of the National Centre for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting.
By 1 am on July 20, the storm will strengthen to level 10 over the northeastern waters of the East Sea, about 760 km east of China’s Leizhou Peninsula. Gusts remained at level 12.
Wipha is forecast to continue moving northwest and intensify before weakening slightly as it enters the Gulf of Tonkin by early July 22, with sustained winds of level 9–10 and gusts reaching level 13.
The storm is expected to make landfall in Vietnam’s northern coastal provinces later that day, then weaken further.
Heavy rain is forecast across northern and north-central regions from July 21 to 24, with rainfall ranging from 200 to 350 mm, and some areas possibly exceeding 600 mm, Khiem said.
Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Nguyen Hoang Hiep said Wipha is the first typhoon to hit Vietnam this year. Although less intense than Typhoon Yagi, Wipha could affect over 1,700 communes across 18 provinces due to prolonged rainfall.