'Waterlogged' Vietnam on alert for more tropical downpours, flooding
By
Courtney Travis, AccuWeather senior meteorologist
Published Oct 15, 2020 4:48 PM EDT
Severe flooding in central Vietnam killed at least 18 people over the weekend, as rough seas and torrential rain lashed the country. More than 46,000 people have been evacuated from their homes.
Vietnam has been struck by a number of tropical storms over the past two weeks, and now AccuWeather forecasters say a new tropical system that is forming in the West Pacific could aim for the country.
A tropical low moved west to east over the Philippines through the middle of the week. The low, being referred to as Ofel in the Philippines, is forecast to emerge over the South China Sea and continue to move westward on Friday and Saturday.
"In the South China Sea, the environment remains very conducive for tropical development, with warm water and low wind shear," said AccuWeather Meteorologist Tony Zartman.
Zartman added that the tropical low is forecast to become a tropical depression, and perhaps even a tropical storm, by Saturday.
The later that the tropical low organizes, the closer it will be to land in southeastern Asia, closing the window of time that it could become a stronger tropical feature.
Regardless of further strengthening, another round of heavy, tropical rainfall is set to target parts of Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia.
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"Rainfall totals through the weekend across the waterlogged region will be high enough to cause more flooding and could be on the order of 100-200 mm (about 4-8 inches)," explained Zartman.
Mudslides will also be a concern in the mountainous terrain of the region where an AccuWeather Local StormMax™ of 300 mm (12 inches) is most likely.
October has been an incredibly wet month for the Southeast Asia region so far, and specifically Vietnam.
Heavy rainfall first arrived across the central provinces of Vietnam on Monday, Oct. 5, as a tropical low moved over the region, allowing tropical downpours to linger over the region throughout the week. On top of that, Tropical Storm Linfa strengthened last weekend and made landfall in Vietnam.
Hue, located on the central coast of Vietnam, was one of the hardest-hit cities. A seven-day rainfall total in the city reached 1,893 mm (74.54 inches) deluging the coastal community. While this is the middle of the wet season for Hue, the normal rainfall for the entire month of October is 757 mm (29.80 inches).
A flooded village is seen in Quang Tri province, Vietnam, October 12, 2020. (Ho Cau/ REUTERS)
Hue thankfully missed receiving most of the flooding rainfall with the next tropical storm, Nangka, which hit the northern part of Vietnam and southern China.
Combined, at least 23 deaths are being blamed on the severe flooding that plagued central Vietnam earlier in the month. This number is expected to increase as rescue and recovery efforts continue for 14 people still missing in the central provinces.
The death toll for the region rose on Wednesday as Tropical Storm Nangka raced across far southern China. Late in the day on Tuesday, strong winds and rough seas caused a cargo ship to capsize near Zhanjiang, located just north of Hainan Island. Two crew members were found dead, and another four are still missing.
AccuWeather meteorologists will continue to monitor the region east of the Philippines into the second half of October, as more tropical development could occur in this area.
Keep checking back on AccuWeather.com and stay tuned to the AccuWeather Network on DirecTV, Frontier and Verizon Fios.
Report a Typo
News / Hurricane
'Waterlogged' Vietnam on alert for more tropical downpours, flooding
By Courtney Travis, AccuWeather senior meteorologist
Published Oct 15, 2020 4:48 PM EDT
Severe flooding in central Vietnam killed at least 18 people over the weekend, as rough seas and torrential rain lashed the country. More than 46,000 people have been evacuated from their homes.
Vietnam has been struck by a number of tropical storms over the past two weeks, and now AccuWeather forecasters say a new tropical system that is forming in the West Pacific could aim for the country.
A tropical low moved west to east over the Philippines through the middle of the week. The low, being referred to as Ofel in the Philippines, is forecast to emerge over the South China Sea and continue to move westward on Friday and Saturday.
"In the South China Sea, the environment remains very conducive for tropical development, with warm water and low wind shear," said AccuWeather Meteorologist Tony Zartman.
Zartman added that the tropical low is forecast to become a tropical depression, and perhaps even a tropical storm, by Saturday.
The later that the tropical low organizes, the closer it will be to land in southeastern Asia, closing the window of time that it could become a stronger tropical feature.
Regardless of further strengthening, another round of heavy, tropical rainfall is set to target parts of Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia.
CLICK HERE FOR THE FREE ACCUWEATHER APP
"Rainfall totals through the weekend across the waterlogged region will be high enough to cause more flooding and could be on the order of 100-200 mm (about 4-8 inches)," explained Zartman.
Mudslides will also be a concern in the mountainous terrain of the region where an AccuWeather Local StormMax™ of 300 mm (12 inches) is most likely.
Related:
October has been an incredibly wet month for the Southeast Asia region so far, and specifically Vietnam.
Heavy rainfall first arrived across the central provinces of Vietnam on Monday, Oct. 5, as a tropical low moved over the region, allowing tropical downpours to linger over the region throughout the week. On top of that, Tropical Storm Linfa strengthened last weekend and made landfall in Vietnam.
Hue, located on the central coast of Vietnam, was one of the hardest-hit cities. A seven-day rainfall total in the city reached 1,893 mm (74.54 inches) deluging the coastal community. While this is the middle of the wet season for Hue, the normal rainfall for the entire month of October is 757 mm (29.80 inches).
A flooded village is seen in Quang Tri province, Vietnam, October 12, 2020. (Ho Cau/ REUTERS)
Hue thankfully missed receiving most of the flooding rainfall with the next tropical storm, Nangka, which hit the northern part of Vietnam and southern China.
Combined, at least 23 deaths are being blamed on the severe flooding that plagued central Vietnam earlier in the month. This number is expected to increase as rescue and recovery efforts continue for 14 people still missing in the central provinces.
The death toll for the region rose on Wednesday as Tropical Storm Nangka raced across far southern China. Late in the day on Tuesday, strong winds and rough seas caused a cargo ship to capsize near Zhanjiang, located just north of Hainan Island. Two crew members were found dead, and another four are still missing.
AccuWeather meteorologists will continue to monitor the region east of the Philippines into the second half of October, as more tropical development could occur in this area.
Keep checking back on AccuWeather.com and stay tuned to the AccuWeather Network on DirecTV, Frontier and Verizon Fios.
Report a Typo