A strong cold wave is travelling from China to Vietnam’s northern region and will lead to the temperature dropping by 10 degrees Celsius, the National Hydro‑Meteorological Service has said.

The cold spell is expected to arrive later on February 23, bringing with it chilly weather to provinces in the northern and northern central region. The mountainous area in the north will experience the most substantial drop in temperature, staying somewhere between the average 14-17 degrees Celsius and below 10 degrees Celsius in the higher altitude areas.

Temperatures in the capital city of Hanoi are expected to dip to 14-16 degrees Celsius at night and early morning.

The cold wave will be accompanied by average to heavy rainfall and thunderstorms may also occur.

This is believed to be the first in a series of successive cold waves that will make landfall in Vietnam, plunging the region under cold and rainy weather, which has made a rare appearance this spring.

From February 23, the Gulf of Tonkin and the northern part of the East Sea (South China Sea), including the Hoang Sa (Paracel) archipelago area, will experience strong northeast winds, blowing at level 5-6, which may reach up to level 7-8, resulting in turbulent waves reaching up to as high as 1.5-3m.

Source: Vietnamplus