The cold air mass is causing severe cold weather, with temperatures dropping below 5 degrees Celsius in some areas.

1.Northeast monsoon and cold weather

Early this morning (January 16th),The cold air mass has affected all provinces in eastern Northern Vietnam, North Central Vietnam, and most of western Northern Vietnam, causing scattered rain; in the Gulf of Tonkin, there have been strong northeasterly winds of force 6-7, gusting above force 7. At higher altitudes, the westerly trough is gradually shifting eastward.

Forecast:Today and tonight (January 16th), the cold air mass will continue to affect other areas in the western part of Northern Vietnam, and then will affect some areas in Central Vietnam; northeasterly winds inland will be at level 3, and in coastal areas at level 3-4.

According to the Central Meteorological and Hydrological Forecasting Center, the cold air mass will continue to affect some areas in the Central region of Vietnam today and tonight (January 16). (Photo: Archival image)

In the northern provinces and Thanh Hoa, the weather is intensely cold, with the lowest temperatures generally ranging from 10-13 degrees Celsius, 7-10 degrees Celsius in mountainous areas, and below 5 degrees Celsius in some high mountainous regions.

In the Gulf of Tonkin and the northern South China Sea (including the waters around the Paracel Islands), the northeast wind will gradually strengthen to level 6, sometimes level 7, with gusts up to level 8; the sea will be rough. From the night of January 16th, in the offshore waters of Central and Southern Vietnam and the central South China Sea, the northeast wind will be strong at level 6, with gusts up to level 8; the sea will be rough.

2.Heavy rain in Northwest, Northeast and Central Vietnam.

Due to the influence of the upper-level westerly trough combined with cold air, scattered rain is expected in the northern provinces, with moderate to heavy rain in some areas of the Viet Bac region today (rainfall amounts generally 20-50mm/24 hours, with some areas in Lao Cai and Ha Giang exceeding 80mm/24 hours). Tornadoes, lightning, and strong gusts of wind are possible during thunderstorms.

On the small streams in the upper reaches of the Red River basin, there is a possibility of a minor flood with a flood level increase of 1.0-2.0m. During this flood, the peak flood levels on the rivers will be below Flood Level 1.Warning:The risk of landslides is high in the northern mountainous region, especially in provinces such as Lai Chau, Dien Bien, Lao Cai, and Ha Giang (It is necessary to closely monitor detailed flash flood and landslide warning information at the district level in the flash flood and landslide warning bulletins).

From now until the night of January 17th, there will be rain and moderate rain in the provinces from Thanh Hoa to Khanh Hoa. Specifically, in the provinces from Thua Thien Hue to Quang Ngai, there will be moderate to heavy rain on the night of January 16th and during the day of January 17th, with some areas experiencing very heavy rain (rainfall amounts generally 40-80mm/24 hours, with some areas exceeding 100mm/24 hours).Level of natural disaster risk: level 1