Northern and Central Viet Nam have started this week with a bitterly cold and windy weather as the mercury is constantly now on a significant downward trend under the adverse impact of a newly-formed fast-moving intense cold front, Viet Nam's National Center for Hydro-meteorological Forecasting said.

Da Nang is expected to see a new record low temperatures in the coming days (Illustrative image sourced from the Internet)

The “severe cold weather conditions” have brought frost and sleet, a mixture of rain and snow, to parts of Northern Viet Nam.

From Sunday into the next days, Northern Viet Nam, especially the provinces of Son La, Lao Cai, Ha Giang, Vinh Phuc and Lang Son, are the hardest hit. Worse still, some such mountainous locations as Mau Son in Lang Son and Sapa in Lao Cai are experiencing sub-zero temperatures.

The cold gusts of northeast wind are also sticking around and spread their strong impact further down Central Viet Nam.

The north-central provinces of Thanh Hoa and Nghe An are encountering a bitterly cold weather, with temperatures hovering around 7 - 11 degrees Celsius, and down to 4 – 7 degrees Celsius in their mountainous areas.

A vast stretch from Ha Tinh to Thua Thien-Hue is also suffering a chill weather with the mercury plummeting considerably to only 9 – 12 degrees Celsius.

In addition, localities from Da Nang to Quang Ngai are bracing for a bit higher mercury which is hovering at 15 -17 degrees Celsius.

Da Nang will suffer from a more bitterly cold air in the coming days. Of special note, tomorrow (Tuesday) is expected to see the mercury dip to 14 degrees Celsius, the lowest ever recorded in the city since the start of the ongoing hash winter season.

Meanwhile, the Central Highlands areas are also experiencing cold, while the south-central and southern provinces are seeing mild cold weather during the night and early morning.

Northern monsoons have also rumbled the waters off Central and Southern Viet Nam, as well as the northern and central areas of the East Sea.

According to national meteorologists’ projections, by late February, several spells of cold weather are forecast to hit many parts of Viet Nam, with each staying in place for 7 – 10 days. Up and down the country, both humans and animals are huddling up to keep the winter chill out.

The chilly weather-hit localities have been required to build up a framework for implementing and coordinating cold weather preparedness and response activities which focus on reducing the negative health impacts of cold weather conditions.

Of special note, to stay ‘safe and sound’ during inevitable severe cold spells bringing very high humidity, drizzle and blustery winds without sunshine, it is a need for the general public to wrap up in an extra layer of clothing in an effort to stay warm.

The La Nina phenomenon, that describes cooler than normal ocean surface temperatures in the Eastern and Central Pacific Ocean, regions close to the equator off the west coast of South America, will continue through the first half of 2021, and then the climate will shift to the neutral conditions in summer 2021, the national forcasters said.

As a result, heat waves in summer months of 2021 will occur in the northern and central regions later than and be less severe than in 2020.

By HOANG HIEP- Translated by A.T