The National Center for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting says a tropical depression in the East Sea is predicted to become a tropical storm that will bring torrential rains to regions in northern and north-central Vietnam.
According to Tuoi Tre, the low-pressure area, with winds at 40 to 60 km/h and gusts of up to 80 km/h, was situated around 190 kilometers northeast of Vietnam's Hoang Sa Archipelago. It is forecast to travel northwest and strengthen into a storm during the next 24 hours.
The storm will reach China's Hainan Island at 7am on Wednesday with an increase in wind speed from 60 to 75 km/h, along with gusts of 115 km/h.
The northwest path will take the tropical storm to Vietnam's northern coastal provinces from Quang Binh to Nam Dinh on Thursday morning.
Flooding and mudslides are two main concerns in the impacted areas.
Hoang Phuc Lam, deputy director of the National Center for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting, said the heavy rainfall will help prevent further risk of forest fires in north-central regions, but landslides are a concern in areas where blazes have stripped hillsides of trees.
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