Vietnam Braces for Storm Wipha After Typhoon Lashes Hong Kong
Wipha is currently near the port city of Beihai in China's Guangxi province, and the US Navy's Joint Typhoon Warning Center forecasts the storm will gradually strengthen as it moves across the Gulf of Tonkin. The outer bands of the system are already bringing heavy rainfall to Vietnam's capital of Hanoi.
Gale-force winds lashed Hong Kong on Sunday as Wipha tracked to the south of the city at typhoon-strength, downing trees and leading to flight cancellations. The storm skirted the mainland Chinese coast before crossing near Yangjiang and moving inland on a westerly track toward Vietnam.
Wipha has traversed relatively flat terrain, keeping the system together 'rather nicely' as it heads into the Gulf of Tonkin, according to the JTWC. Warm waters will fuel its development, and Wipha will 'intensify at least to high-end tropical storm strength and potentially back to typhoon-strength prior to landfall in Vietnam,' the JTWC said.
Heavy downpours are forecast for Monday through Wednesday across northeast Vietnam, the Red River Delta, and parts of the North Central coast, with as much as 600 millimeters (24 inches) in some areas, according to the National Center for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting.
Vietnam's weather agency warned of a high flooding risk in coastal areas on Tuesday afternoon, particularly in Hung Yen-Quang Ninh near the port city of Haiphong, with storm surges of nearly five meters in some locations. Conditions are also dangerous at sea for all types of vessels as the approaching storm triggers strong winds and high waves, the bureau added.
Wipha developed as an area of low pressure in waters east of the Philippines last week, bringing heavy rain to the country's north. The storm, known locally as Crising, has caused $3.8 million in damage to infrastructure and killed at least five people, the national disaster agency said on Monday.
--With assistance from Neil Jerome Morales.
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