Tropical Depression Hits Central Vietnam, Rain Spreads North

A tropical depression made landfall in Vietnam's central Quang Tri province on the afternoon of September 13, recording rainfall of up to 480mm by 5 PM that day. This heavy rain caused 409 homes in Quang Tri province to flood and damaged 9 houses. Four houses in Thua Thien Hue province were also damaged. So far, 694 households have been evacuated to safety in affected areas, including 645 households from Quang Tri, 44 from Da Nang, and 5 from Thua Thien Hue. Infrastructure has also been severely impacted, with traffic blocked at 5 locations on national highways and 5 provincial roads. Additionally, 48 bridges, culverts, and inter-village roads were inundated by 0.2-0.8 meters, and in some places over one meter, causing localized disruptions. Thirty-six locations in Quang Tri and 12 in Thua Thien Hue were affected. River water levels are rising. The lower Kiến Giang River in Quang Tri is at alert level one, and the Thạch Hãn River is about 0.1m below alert level three. The Bồ and Hương rivers in Thua Thien Hue are at alert level one, while water levels in Da Nang's rivers are declining. The meteorological agency warned that 114 communes and wards are at risk of flash floods and landslides tonight. Among these, Quang Tri has 52 affected units, Da Nang 25, Thua Thien Hue 21, and Ha Tinh 16. Forecasts until September 16 indicate that the Thạch Hãn River may exceed alert level three by about 0.5m, and the lower Kiến Giang River is expected to exceed alert level two. The Ngàn Sâu and Ngàn Phố rivers in Ha Tinh could reach alert levels two to three. Other rivers are generally at alert levels one to two, with some areas potentially exceeding these levels. The focus of heavy rainfall is shifting northward. From the evening of September 13 to September 15, Nghệ An province and northern Quang Tri (formerly part of Quảng Bình province) are forecast to receive 200-400mm of rain, with some areas exceeding 500mm. Thanh Hóa province and southern Quang Tri (formerly part of Quảng Trị province) are expected to receive 150-300mm, with some areas exceeding 400mm. Furthermore, from the early morning of September 14 to the end of September 16, heavy rain will spread to the central and lowland areas of the Bắc Bộ region, with rainfall generally ranging from 100-250mm, and over 300mm in some locations. Prior to the tropical depression's landfall, it combined with a tropical convergence band to cause heavy rain from Ha Tinh to Thua Thien Hue. From the evening of September 12 to the afternoon of September 13, Quang Tri and Thua Thien Hue received rainfall generally between 150-250mm, with some areas exceeding 350mm. Rainfall at Tà Long reached 480mm, Ba Nang 397mm (both in Quang Tri), and Tà Lương in Thua Thien Hue recorded 396mm. From September 10 to 13, Tà Long recorded a total rainfall of 834mm, and the La Tó hydropower dam received 757mm. In Thua Thien Hue, Bạch Mã peak recorded 1,300mm, Nhâm 767mm, Tà Lương 762mm, and the Rào Trăng 3 hydropower dam 733mm. Source: VnExpress