Nguyen Van Huong, head of the Weather Forecasting Department under the National Centre for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting, said the newly-formed tropical depression, which developed on October 16, is currently moving over the eastern waters of the central Philippines.
As of early Friday afternoon, the system was packing winds of 50-61 kph, gusting up to 75 kph and moving westwards at 20-25 kph.
By around 1 pm on October 18, the tropical depression is expected to intensify into a storm over the eastern sea area of the central Philippines.
The storm may travel mainly west-northwestwards at 20-25 kph, entering the East Sea on October 19-20, where it may continue to become stronger.
However, meteorologists noted that a cold spell from the north is expected to move southward around the same time, which could cause the storm to weaken while over the sea.
Between October 20 and 22, the northern part of the East Sea, including the Hoang Sa (Paracel) Islands, is likely to see violent winds.
Vessels operating in these areas are advised to take extreme caution, as they may face thunderstorms, squalls, high winds and rough seas.
According to the National Centre for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting, from now until late in the year, about three more tropical storms or depressions may form over the East Sea, with one or two potentially affecting mainland Vietnam.
