If you woke up this morning and thought: “Why is it still raining?”, we’ve got some bad news.
A tropical depression in the East Sea is set to bring heavy rains not only to Saigon but the surrounding southern provinces over the coming days, reports Zing.
As of 7am today, the tropical depression was 300 kilometers off the coast of Binh Thuan province, however it is expected to approach the coast of Ba Ria-Vung Tau province by 1am Tuesday morning, bringing with it strong winds and heavy rain exceeding 200 millimeters in some places. Over the next 48 hours, the storm will travel across the provinces of the Mekong Delta, passing close to the southern hub.
Beyond the rain itself, experts also expect the rain to cause rising waters in several Mekong Delta rivers as well as the Saigon River, which could lead to mid-week flooding in the city. River levels are expected to peak at 1.62 meters on Thursday, according to Tuoi Tre.
On Sunday afternoon, authorities in Can Gio and Nha Be Districts began checking residential areas close to rivers and low-lying, coastal areas to let residents know they may be required to evacuate, reports VnExpress. Search and rescue teams will also be on alert over the coming days. Experts expected the rain to ease up by tomorrow night.
The city’s Department of Tourism and Saigon Tourist have also instructed companies not to take tourists out on the water in inclement weather.
Unfortunately, the news gets a little more depressing from here. Despite the fact that more than a few Saigoneers are ready for rainy season to be over, Nguyen Kiet, head of the Southern Hydrometeorology Station, told Tuoi Tre the storms will continue through the end of December and possibly even into January 2017 as a result of La Niña.
However southern Vietnam isn’t the only area getting hit with more rain: central Vietnam, too, will see strong winds and as much as 300-400 millimeters of rain in the area from Quang Nam to Phu Yen provinces, according to Zing. There is also a possibility of landslides and flash flooding.
[Photo via Zing]
