As the first of this year’s storms, Storm Kujira, enters the Bien Dong (East Sea), the Da Nang Border Guard High Command and the municipal Coastal Information Station are making every effort to keep all fishing boats operating at sea well informed of its position, direction and movement.  This will allow them to take the initiative to quickly come back to port or seek safe shelter from the storm.

By Sunday morning, the Steering Committees for Natural Disaster Mitigation and Control, Search and Rescue in Da Nang and the provinces of Quang Nam, Binh Dinh and Khanh Hoa had informed a total of 96,430 fishermen on 22,651 fishing vessels at sea about the storm's developments and movements. 

The predicted movement of Storm Kujira (Photo: the Centre for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting)

Currently, 3 offshore fishing vessels from the city are operating on the northern side of the Hoang Sa (Spartly) archipelago.  Local offshore fishing boats are not being allowed to head out to sea, and relevant agencies are being asked to keep close contact with boats at sea in order to handle any unexpected incidents.

According to the Centre for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting, by 4pm today, 22 June, Storm Kujira’s position should be at latitude 18°9’N and longitude 110°9’E, just southeast of Hainan Island.  The strongest wind speeds near its centre are forecasted to be between 75 and 90kph (level 9).

Over the next 12 hours, the storm will continue to move in a northerly or north-westerly direction at a speed of about 10kph.  By 4pm tomorrow 23 June, Kujira will be located at latitude 20°9’N and longitude 110°E on China’s Leizhou Peninsula with winds blowing at 60-75kph.

Due to the storm, the Hoang Sa archipelago is experiencing strong winds at level 10/11, rough seas, and powerful sea waves to a height of 3-5 metres.

The current movement of the storm will bring cool air and rain to central Viet Nam, including Da Nang, helping cool down the baking weather that has raged since early May, with high temperatures having reached 42 degrees Celsius in some areas.

After the storm hits southern China, likely on Tuesday, hot weather will return to central Viet Nam again in the last days of this week, with high temperatures in the region from Thanh Hoa to Thua Thien-Hue provinces to top 39 degrees.

In the coastal area from Da Nang to Binh Thuan Province, the high temperature will be about 37 degrees.

(Danang Today/ Tuoitre News)