Heavy rain resulting from a tropical low pressure stopped many Ho Chi Minh City students from going to school today after they were told to go home yesterday afternoon when the city was bracing for a predicted fierce storm.

Local authorities demanded Wednesday that all K-12 schools close in the afternoon when a powerful storm, predicted to be formed from the low pressure and strong winds blowing between 62 and 88 kilometers per hour, was forecast to hit the city from 3:00 pm onward.

A last-minute dispatch by the local education department directed that students return to school today.

But many schools could not open this morning as heavy rain from the depression has flooded many streets and campuses.

Two branches of Chuong Duong Elementary, located in District 5, shut down today because of flooding.

The management have informed parents of the situation and told them to keep their children at home for one more day, according to the school.

They will contact the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Education and Training for further instructions, it said.

Only one-third of the students at Huong Sen Kindergarten in Phu Nhuan District went to school this morning while two-thirds attended classes at Nguyen Binh Khiem Elementary School in District 1, a CBD.

Many schools in other districts remain closed now due to the floods.

About 1.4 million students in the southern metropolis finished school early on Wednesday following requests from the authorities.

However, the depression has not intensified into the storm as forecast and has not caused as much damage as it was predicted to.