Tropical Storm Wipha Set to Make Landfall in Northern Vietnam
Wipha strengthened as it moved over the warm waters of the Gulf of Tonkin overnight, but interaction with nearby land and persistent crosswinds kept its intensification in check, according to the US Navy's Joint Typhoon Warning Center. The JTWC assessed the storm's top sustained winds at 93 kilometers (58 miles) per hour, placing it below typhoon strength.
Vietnam's government warned of potential flooding at industrial zones where companies such as Samsung Electronics Co., Hon Hai Precision Industry Co. — known as Foxconn — and Luxshare Precision Industry Co. have factories.
The Northern Delta area and parts of the north-central provinces will see heavy rain and thunderstorms into Wednesday, with some places getting more than 300 millimeters (12 inches), according to Vietnam's weather agency.
Van Don and Cat Bi International airports in Quang Ninh and Haiphong were temporarily shut late on Monday night, with operations set to resume after Wipha makes landfall and tracks inland. Authorities in Hanoi also evacuated residents from an apartment building deemed to be particularly vulnerable to the storm's effects, local outlet VnExpress reported.
Wipha developed as an area of low pressure east of the Philippines last week, before lashing Hong Kong with gale-force winds on Sunday as it tracked to the south of the city at typhoon-strength. The system then skirted mainland China, temporarily moved inland, and headed west toward Vietnam.
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