Vietnam is bracing itself ahead of Typhoon Dianmu will reach landfall on August 19 with wind speeds of 90 to 120 kilometres per hour.
Typhoon Dianmu heads to Vietnam
According to the National Centre for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting, the storm's eye was at latitude 20.8N, longitude 112.2E at 4am on August 18. The highest wind measured at the area near the eye of the storm was at level 8 -- 60-75 kilometres per hour.
It is forecast that in the next 24 hours, the typhoon will mostly move west with increasing wind speed. At around 4pm on the next day, the typhoon will arrive in Vietnam. The highest wind at the area near the eye of the storm is predicted to reach level 10 to 11 -- 90-120 kilometres per hour.
Provinces and cities in the northeast and north of central region including Quang Ninh and Nghe An provinces will be affected directly.
In the next 36 to 48 hours, the typhoon will go deeper inland at the speed of 15-20 kilometres per hour before becoming a tropical depression. On August 20, the typhoon will be at latitude 20.4N, longitude 103.5E, in Laos. In the next 48 to 60 hours, it may change direction toward west and north-west.
The coastal areas of Hai Phong City to Nam Dinh Province have warned of high tides with a tidal range between three and four metres. Widespread rains will fall on the northern and the north central coast starting this evening. Rainfall is predicted to reach 300mm to 500mm at some locations.
Flood warnings have been issued relating to the Red River in Thai Binh Province, Hoang Long, Ky Cung and Bac Giang rivers. Mountainous provinces such as Yen Bai, Tuyen Quang, Cao Bang and Bac Kan are advised to be aware of flash floods.
Three to five metre high waves are predicted at sea.
