Heavy rain and severe thunderstorms, packing whirlwinds and lightning, wreaked havoc across localities across Vietnam as of 15:30 on May 17, according to the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment’s Vietnam Disaster and Dyke Management Authority.
In the central province of Dak Lak, violent rainstorms with strong winds and lightning injured one person and damaged 27 houses, one of which collapsed entirely. Seven houses suffered severe damage and 13 had roofs ripped off in Ea Kar commune.
Torrential rain in Ly Quoc commune, northern Cao Bang province, flooded 130 ha of rice, 50 ha of corn, 24.9 ha of soybeans, 6.17 ha of peanuts and 30 ha of industrial crops. Floodwaters also swamped 183 homes and one school, with water depths of 0.5-1.5m, concentrated in nine out of 18 hamlets.
In central Quang Tri province, lightning killed 14 cattle in Cu Bai village, Huong Lap commune, inflicting estimated losses of around 150 million VND (5,700 USD).
While in central Thanh Hoa province, strong winds and high waves snapped the anchors of two fishing vessels, sinking them near the estuary in Ngoc Son ward.
Nguyen Van Huong, head of the weather forecast department at the National Centre for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting, warned that weather conditions remain complicated in the coming days.
From May 18-19, scattered showers and thunderstorms, with pockets of heavy rain, are forecast for the northwestern region. The Northeast will see moderate to heavy rain and thunderstorms, with very heavy downpours.
Central coastal areas can expect scattered showers and thunderstorms, particularly in the late afternoon and evening, with isolated heavy rainfall.
The Central Highlands and southern regions are also set for scattered afternoon and evening thunderstorms, with localised heavy rain.
From the night of May 19 through May 21, widespread rain and thunderstorms will blanket northern Vietnam, with some areas likely to see torrential rainfall. Precipitation is expected to taper off after May 22.
The strip from Thanh Hoa to Da Nang, along with eastern areas from Quang Ngai to Dak Lak, are also forecast to face scattered showers and thunderstorms from May 18-20.
Localities nationwide should stay on alert for whirlwinds, lightning, hail and strong wind gusts during thunderstorms, Huong warned./.
