The highest water levels of the year in northern rivers were forecast to appear in late July and August, reported the National Hydro-meteorological Forecast Centre.

Levels were expected to be higher than last year, said the deputy director of the centre, Le Thanh Hai.

In the southern region, levels in Tien and Hau rivers were also expected to surpass last year’s, and early flooding was likely to occur on Mekong River this month, Hai said.

The centre warned that wide scale flooding would appear in both rivers and streams in the central highland region.

According to Hai, water levels have risen due to increased rain brought on by this year’s La Nina, characterised by unusually cold ocean temperatures, opposed to El Nino which is known for warming up the seas.

Areas at risk have been advised to prepare for strong storms, flooding, flash floods and landslides, especially in mountainous areas in northern, central and central highland regions.

Central and southern provinces have also been warned to be ready for an increased number of strong storms, due to climate change.

In the past, those storms only hit the southern region once every ten years, but more recently, they had appeared more regularly in 1997, 2000 and 2006, he said.

The centre had difficulties forecasting storms due to uncompleted observational data and abnormal weather conditions this year, Hai said.

“However, we would make every effort to give early and prompt warnings to the public,” he said.

New regulations have been set in place to provide earlier warnings regarding tropical storms and floods.

The centre has operated a weather forecast system based on a time period of less than six hours before storms or floods hit Ha Noi, he said, adding that forecasts for sea-based natural disasters were more detailed.

Abnormal weather conditions and storms, such as the tornado that swept through northern Hai Phong Province’s Thuy Nguyen District on June 23, killing two people while damaging nearly 900 houses, have been blamed on climate change, he said.

“We have never seen snowfall in March nor witnessed flash floods this early in the rainy season,” Hai said.

Heavy rain, whirlwinds damage 211 houses

Two schools and three houses collapsed while 197 other buildings were damaged early yesterday morning following prolonged rain and whirlwinds sweeping through the districts of Van Yen and Van Chan in northern Yen Bai Province.

The whirlwind also damaged 7,200sq.m of rice at an estimated loss of VND600 million (US$29,200).

Authorities have assisted local residents in dealing with the aftermath of the storm, donating around VND5 million to individual residents in some cases.

Source: VNS