Typhoon Usagi getting close to Vung Tau, HCMC

Nine coastal provinces and cities from Khanh Hoa to Tra Vinh and Bac Lieu province have banned boats from going out to sea. As of this morning, local authorities have evacuated 76,470 people, including 4,476 people from HCMC.

Typhoon Usagi is forecast to make landfall in the area from Ba Ria-Vung Tau province and HCMC this morning

The National Hydro Meteorological Forecasting Center said that the typhoon was 60 kilometers off Ba Ria-Vung Tau province and 110 kilometers off Ben Tre province at 4 a.m. this morning. Strongest winds near the eye of the storm reached level 9-10 moving 75-100 kilometers an hour.

In the next 12 hours, it will move west northwest at 5-10 kilometers an hour to make landfall in provinces from Binh Thuan to Ben Tre province and degrade to level 8. Afterwards it will travel further inland and weaken into a tropical low pressure system in Cambodia.

Direction of typhoon Usagi in the morning on November 25. (Photo: nchmf)

HCMC has been warned of cyclones and wide spreading flooding because of heavy rains in combination with high tide. Under influence of the storm, central provinces from Thua Thien-Hue to Binh Thuan, the southern Central Highlands and the southern region will see torrential rains with common precipitation of 100-200mm and over 250mm in places.

The storm in combination with a northward cold front will unleash heavy rainfall in provinces from Quang Tri to Khanh Hoa on November 25-27. The cold front has fueled wind power in the Gulf of Tonkin to reach level 6 and caused rough sea.

Source: SGGP