After making a landfall in the Philippines and killing at least three people on Sunday, Typhoon Hagupit is moving towards the Bien Dong (East Sea) and will reach the area on Tuesday, the Viet Nam National Center for Hydro-Meteorological Center reported on Monday.  

At 7 am Monday, December 8 (Viet Nam time), Hagupit was centered on the central Philippines, packing winds of up to 117 kph and gusts of 134-166 kph.

The expected path of typhoon Hapugit

The typhoon is moving west-northwest at a speed of 10-15 kph, and will enter the Bien Dong early Tuesday.

At 7 am tomorrow, the powerful storm will be about 610 km east-northeast of Song Tu Tay Island, part of the Truong Sa (Spratly) archipelago, with winds in areas near the eye reaching up to 102 kph, with squalls of 118-149 kph.

Over the next 24 hours, the storm will mainly move west at a speed of 15 kph and will be centered 250 km north-northeast of Song Tu Tay Island, with maximum winds of 88 kph, at 7 am on December 10.  

Due to the typhoon, which is accompanied by a cold front, the eastern area of the Bien Dong will have rough seas and winds of 75-102 kph.

Later, the typhoon will likely change direction to west-southwest and pick up speed, to 20 kph.

Generally, the movement of the typhoon will be very complicated and the center is closely monitoring it, said Hoang Duc Cuong, the center’s director.

The Central Steering Committee for Flood and Storm Prevention and Control has asked local authorities in the region from Quang Tri Province in the north to Ca Mau Province in the south to keep all boats at sea well informed of the typhoon’s movement and call on them to leave dangerous waters or avoid entering them before 5 pm Monday.

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.