People cleaning up mud after Wednesday’s flood, which inundated more than 1,000 houses in Da Huoai 3 Commune (Lam Dong) and swept away five others. — VNA/VNS
HANOI: The National Centre for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting has issued warnings of widespread heavy rain, thunderstorms and dangerous weather patterns from Friday to Saturday (Aug 15-16), raising the risk of flash floods and landslides in multiple provinces and cities.
From Friday evening to Saturday night, the northeastern region, Thanh Hoa and Nghe An are forecast to see moderate to heavy rain and thunderstorms, with common rainfall of 60–130mm and some places exceeding 250mm.
The Central Highlands and southern regions are also expected to have 50–100mm of rain, with some locations topping 200mm.
Earlier, from Thursday night to early Friday morning, many northern, north-central and Central Highlands localities recorded substantial rainfall, including Khuon Ha in Tuyen Quang (115.4mm), Lang Ngam in Bac Ninh (103.2mm), Hien Trung in Thanh Hoa (98mm) and Nghien Loan in Thai Nguyen (95.8mm).
Satellite imagery, lightning location data and weather radar have detected convective clouds forming over parts of Hanoi, including Yen Xuan, Tung Thien, Doai Phuong, Quang Oai, Minh Chau and Ba Vi.
These clouds are expected to continue producing rain on Friday before spreading to other wards. Thunderstorms may bring tornadoes, lightning and strong gusts. The disaster risk level for tornadoes, lightning and hail is rated at Level 1.
The agency warns of potential flash floods on small rivers and streams and landslides on slopes in many communes and wards across 13 provinces, including Lai Chau, Dien Bien, Son La, Phu Tho, Lao Cai, Tuyen Quang, Thai Nguyen, Cao Bang and Lang Son.
Many of these areas have already seen significant rain on Friday, with some recording over 90mm in just a few hours. Soil moisture models indicate that in several locations, saturation levels have reached or exceeded 85 per cent, further increasing the risk of slope failure.
The centre notes that flash floods and landslides can cause severe environmental damage, endanger lives, disrupt local traffic, destroy infrastructure and harm livelihoods. Local authorities are urged to inspect water flow bottlenecks and vulnerable areas, and take preventive and response measures. - Vietnam News/ANN
