Typhoon Kaitak entered the south of the East Sea on Monday afternoon.  This year’s 15^th storm in the country’s waters this year is forecast to get stronger, according to the National Centre for Hydrometeorological Forecasting (NCHMF).

Storm Kai-Tak's path as forecast by NCHMF

At 1.00pm on Monday, it was 530km southeast of the Song Tu Tay Island in the Truong Sa (Spratly) Archipelago.  It was moving southeast at a speed of 15km per hour - and it is expected to continue doing this for the next 24 - 48 hours.

After entering the East Sea, the storm is forecast to strengthen with wind speeds of up to 90 kph, according to the NCHMF. The storm, however, is unlikely to hit Viet Nam's mainland.

The typhoon is expected to be about 270km away from the island at 7.00 am today, creating showers and storms.

While agreeing on Kai-Tak's path, international forecasting stations however offer different predictions on its strength.  Hong Kong's forecasting station also predicts the storm would strengthen, but University College London's Tropical Storm Risk claims it would weaken.  Kai-Tak weakened on Sunday afternoon and was reclassified as a tropical depression by Philippine weather forecasters.

The destructive storm claimed the lives of about 30 people on Biliran Island in the central Philippines after making landfall here on Sunday, the VnExpress online newspaper reported.

The Central Steering Committee for Natural Disaster Prevention and Control on Monday issued an urgent message calling for preparations to protect people and livestock.

The message asked the authorities of localities from the coastal provinces from Quang Ninh to Kien Giang to closely follow the typhoon’s progress and update information for fishermen and boat owners.

It requires the municipal/provincial authorities from Da Nang to Kien Giang to start counting fishing vessels and boats at sea and intensify its control over them.

The message urged the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to support fishing vessels forced to take shelter in countries in the region.  Binh Dinh Province is keeping an eye on 2 fishing vessels that requested to take shelter in Malaysia.

The Central Steering Committee also requested the Committees for Disaster Preparedness and Search and Rescue, as well as relevant ministries and government agencies, to mobilise human resources and equipment to be ready to search and rescue typhoon victims. 

A cold spell has intensified in the South East region of Viet Nam.  It is expected to affect wide areas in the North and North Central Coast regions from 18 to 20 December, with lowest temperatures ranging from 2 to 9 degrees Celsius in the northern region and 9 to 11 degrees Celsius in the northern Delta.

According to Vietnamese forecasters, more storms and tropical depressions can be expected to happen over the next 3 months in the south of the East Sea.

In particular, next year’s stormy season will start earlier than usual in the north of the East Sea.

(Source: VNS/ DA NANG Today)