After battering the Philippines and killing at least 27 people, typhoon Hagupit has entered the East Sea as a tropical storm, which is moving towards south-central Viet Nam, the Vietnamese national weather agency reported Tuesday morning.

At 7 am Tuesday, the storm was centered south of the Philippines’ Luzon Island, packing winds of up to 74 kph and squalls of 75-102 kph, the Viet Nam National Center for Hydro-Meteorological Center said.

According to international weather agencies, the storm is unlikely to strengthen after entering the East Sea, the center said.

The expected path of tropical storm Hagupit in the East Sea

The storm is now moving mainly west at a speed of 15-20 kph and at 7 am Wednesday it will be 350 km northeast of Song Tu Tay Island, part of Viet Nam’s Truong Sa (Spratly) archipelago in the East Sea.

At that time, winds near the storm’s eye will reach 74 kph, with gusts as strong as 102 kph. The sea will be very rough.

Due to the storm, which is accompanied by a cold front, the eastern area of the East Sea will have rough seas and winds of 62-88 kph and gusts of 89-117 kph.

Over the next 24 hours, the storm will continue to move mainly west at 15-20 kph, but it will then likely change direction to west-southwest.

At 7 am on December 11, Hagupit will be located 350 km east-northeast of the coast of the south central region, with maximum winds of 74 kph and squalls of up to 102 kph.
The center the East Sea, including the waters north of the Truong Sa archipelago, will experience violent seas and squalls of 75-102 kph.

The Central Steering Committee for Flood and Storm Prevention and Control has asked local authorities in the region from the central city of Da Nang to Ca Mau province in the south to keep all boats at sea well informed of the storm’s movement and call on them to leave dangerous waters or avoid entering them.
The board also asked the ministries of Defense, Transport, Agriculture and Rural Development, Foreign Affairs and Industry and Trade to work out precautionary plans ahead of the storm.