Typhoon Sonca to hit central Vietnam

Tropical Storm Sonca, the fourth to hit Vietnam this year, is forecast to make landfall in the central Vietnam Tuesday afternoon, causing heavy rains for both the northern and central region.

Tropical Storm Sonca, the fourth to hit Vietnam this year, is forecast to make landfall in the central Vietnam Tuesday afternoon, causing heavy rains for both the northern and central region.

According to the National Hydro-meteorological Forecast Centre, the central provinces from Ha Tinh to Quang Tri will be hardest hit by the storm.

  

Tropical storm Sonca forecast to bring heavy rains for the central region.

Meanwhile, from July 25-27, central localities from Thanh Hoa to Thua Thien Hue provinces will face torrential rains. Coastal areas of Ha Tinh and Quang Binh province will have strong wind with waves as high as 2-4 metres.

By 4 am on Wednesday, the Tonkin Gulf, including Bach Long Vi Island, is predicted to experience strong wind of 40-60km per hour and high waves of 3-5 m.

From Tuesday evening and night, in the Red River Delta, Hoa Binh, Son La and the northern Central Highlands, there will be moderate to heavy rain (rainfall from 50 to 150mm).

Storm Sonca will also bring rains and thunderstorms in the middle and south of East Sea, including the Spratly Islands, and the sea areas from Ninh Thuan to Ca Mau Province.

In the next 24 to 36 hours, the storm is forecast to weaken into a tropical depression.

The recent typhoon Talas has left eight people dead and four others missing.

In the first half of the year, natural disasters in Vietnam killed or left missing 27 people, injured 30 others, damaged 5,900 houses and inundated 11,400 hectares of crops, causing property losses of over 433 billion Vietnamese dong (USD19.2 million), according to the General Statistics Office.