Tropical Storm Kujira Forms Off Vietnam's Coast, Expected to Spare Mainland

Vietnam's National Center for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting reported that as of 7:00 a.m. on Wednesday, the storm lay centered in the northern East Sea and was packing maximum sustained winds of 74 kph (46 mph), with gusts up to 102 kph, moving east at 3 to 5 kph. The storm is projected to head toward the northwestern coast of Luzon Island in the Philippines by Thursday morning. Land interaction is expected to weaken Kujira into a tropical depression with winds of 39-49 km/h and gusts up to 88 kph as it tracks east-northeast. The predicted trajectory of Storm Kujira. Graphic by Vietnam Disaster Monitoring System By Friday morning, the system is forecast to decay further into a low-pressure area over northeastern Luzon. Meteorological agencies in Japan and Hong Kong concur that Kujira will weaken within 24 hours without threatening the Vietnamese mainland. Despite Kujira moving away, northern Vietnam and provinces stretching from Thanh Hoa to northern Quang Tri face heavy local weather through Thursday night. The region is forecast to experience moderate to heavy rain and thunderstorms, with widespread rainfall totals ranging between 70 mm and 140 mm. Isolated areas could see totals exceed 250 mm, with rainfall intensities surpassing 100 mm in as little as three hours. Forecasters warn that these thunderstorms may produce tornadoes, lightning, hail, and strong winds. The intense downpours carry a high risk of urban flooding in low-lying areas, flash floods along small rivers, and landslides on steep terrain. Kujira is the third storm recorded in the East Sea this season, after Maysak and Noul. Vietnam's weather agency expects the total number of storms and tropical depressions for the remainder of the season to align with or fall slightly below the long-term average of 11 to 13. However, officials warn that storms are likely to be stronger, follow more erratic paths, and present severe forecasting challenges. Subsidiary of VnExpress License number: 71/GP-CBC, Ministry of Information andCommunications, September 22, 2021 Editor-in-Chief: Pham Van Hieu Email: [email protected]: 028 7300 9999 - Ext 8556 10th floor, Block A FPT Tower, 10 Pham Van Bach, Cau Giay Ward, Hanoi