Late-season cold front to bring heavy rain to northern Vietnam

A late-season cold front is expected to sweep across northern Vietnam from Sunday evening, bringing a sharp drop in temperatures and widespread heavy rainfall after days of intense heat, weather authorities said.

Temperatures in Hanoi 25-29 degrees by Tuesday

Northern and central Vietnam have experienced a prolonged heatwave since May 31. Temperatures have generally ranged from 35 to 38 degrees Celsius, with some areas recording severe heat conditions.

The National Center for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting said temperatures in the northern midlands and Red River Delta would remain high at 35-37 degrees Celsius on Monday (June 8) before the arrival of the cold front later in the day.

According to forecasts from U.S.-based weather service AccuWeather, temperatures in Hanoi are expected to fall from 30-40 degrees Celsius on Sunday to 25-29 degrees by Tuesday, a decline of around 12 degrees, before gradually rising later in the week to 26-36 degrees.

The weather system is forecast to interact with a low-pressure trough, triggering widespread rainfall across the region.

Rainfall in the northwestern provinces, as well as northern parts of Phu Tho and Tuyen Quang provinces, is expected to reach 50-100 mm, with some locations receiving more than 200 mm.

Other northern localities, along with the central provinces of Thanh Hoa and Nghe An, are forecast to receive between 20 mm and 50 mm of rain, with isolated areas likely to exceed 100 mm.

Rainfall is expected to ease in northeastern provinces after Tuesday (June 9) but remain widespread in northwestern areas.

Central region to remain hot before cooling trend

Hot weather is expected to persist across central Vietnam over the next two days.

Temperatures from Thanh Hoa to Danang and eastern areas stretching from Quang Ngai to Dak Lak are forecast to range between 35 and 38 degrees Celsius, with some locations exceeding 39 degrees. Relative humidity could fall as low as 45-50%.

As the cold front moves southward on Tuesday, June 9, showers and thunderstorms are expected to develop from Thanh Hoa to Ha Tinh. The area affected by the heatwave is expected to narrow, mainly covering Hue, Danang and eastern parts of Quang Ngai and Dak Lak, where temperatures are forecast to ease to 35-37 degrees Celsius.

Forecasters expect the widespread heatwave across central Vietnam to largely end by Wednesday, June 10.

Rainy-season pattern continues in south

In the Central Highlands and southern Vietnam, weak southwest monsoon winds are expected to maintain the region's typical rainy-season weather pattern.

Scattered showers and thunderstorms are forecast, mainly during the afternoon and evening, while daytime conditions will remain sunny.

Maximum temperatures are expected to range between 31 and 34 degrees Celsius in the Central Highlands and 33-35 degrees in southern provinces.

Warnings from authorities

Ahead of the expected heavy rainfall, Vietnam's National Steering Committee for Civil Defense has urged authorities in northern provinces and the central provinces of Thanh Hoa and Nghe An to implement preventive measures.

Local governments have been instructed to closely monitor weather developments and provide timely warnings to residents. Authorities are also reviewing areas at high risk of flash floods and landslides and preparing evacuation plans where necessary.

Emergency response teams have been placed on standby to clear blocked waterways and assist communities in responding to and recovering from potential weather-related damage.