Viet Nam's National Hydrology Meteorology Forecast Centre (NCHFM) has spotted a tropical depression which has been strengthened into Super typhoon Goni near the Philippines, and it is currently embarking on a path towards the East Sea. National forecasters said Super typhoon Goni may pose landfall threat to flood-stricken Central Viet Nam next week.

Storm Goni tracking map (Photo: NCHFM)

If Goni enters the East Sea as forecast, Viet Nam will be hit by five tropical storms and one tropical depression within a month.

At 7:00 am on Saturday, 31 October, the super typhoon was centred at about 810km east of Luzon Island with the maximum sustained wind near its centre at level 17.

The new system with 265kph winds is expected to make landfall on Sunday, 1 November, in island of Luzon, home to Manila, the Philippines.

In the next hours, Goni is expected to move westward at 15-20kph and enter the East Sea.
At 7.00 am on 3 November, the storm may be positioned about 330km southeast of the Hoang Sa Archipelago with maximum sustained wind near the centre falling a bit to level 10, with a gust of level 12.

All predictions by Vietnamese and foreign weather forecasters show that Goni could hit Central Viet Nam next week after entering the East Sea.

The storm is likely to affect the central region next week. When entering the East Sea, the storm will combine with a cold spell, hereby making its movements and intensity more complicated, according NCHFM’s latest watches and warnings.

According to The Guardian, Philippine officials have ordered evacuation of thousands of residents in the southern part of the main Luzon island as a category-5 storm that is the world’s strongest this year approaches.

From Saturday into Sunday, some parts of central Viet Nam from Thua Thien Hue to Quang Ngai, including Da Nang, are bracing for moderate to heavy downpours, hereby posing another threat of floods and landsides to some areas that have been heavily battered by recent severe weather conditions.

The total rainfall of up to 150mm will be highly possible to pour down onto Quang Binh, Quang Tri and Thua Thien- Hue provinces, whilst the rain accumulation of 50-150mm will be measured in Da Nang and its neighbouring Quang Nam.

By HOANG HIEP –Translated by A.T