Tropical storm Hagupit had weakened to a tropical depression when it arrived at the south central coast of Vietnam on early Friday, bringing torrential rain to the region, the Vietnam National Center for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting reported.

>> Storm Hagupit likely to hit Vietnam’s Ninh Thuan-Binh Thuan area tonight

The tropical depression entered the coast of Khanh Hoa and Ninh Thuan provinces early this morning, December 12, and then weakened into a low pressure area, packing winds of less than 39 kph. In the next 12 hours, the low pressure system will move west-southwest rapidly and dissipate, the center said.  The movement of the system, in combination with an ongoing strong cold snap, has brought torrential rains to the region from the central province of Thua Thien-Hue to the south central province of Ninh Thuan. Affected by this weather partner, the northern area of the East Sea, including the waters of Vietnam’s Hoang Sa (Paracel) archipelago, the Gulf of Tonkin, and the waters off the central region have been experiencing rough seas and  winds of up to 61 kph and gusts of 62-88 kph. The coastal area from the central city of Da Nang to the southern city of Vung Tau has had 2-4 meter high waves. Meanwhile, the coastal southern region from Vung Tau to Tra Vinh province may experience rain, thunderstorms and vortexes, with sea waves of 1.5-2.5 meters. Despite the weakening of the depression, authorities in Binh Thuan province still ordered all concerned agencies to arrange their staffs to be on duty around the clock to protect life and property in case of unexpected incidents caused by the bad weather, said Huynh Thanh Canh, deputy chairman of the provincial People’s Committee.

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