Typhoon Hagupit, which is moving toward the Philippines, has been downgraded from super typhoon status and is forecast to hit that country tonight before entering the East Vietnam Sea, according to the Vietnam National Center for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting. 

>> Typhoon Hagupit to enter East Sea after blasting Philippines Hagupit has weakened a bit on its way to the Philippines, and the possibility of it entering the East Vietnam Sea is 70-80 percent, Hoang Duc Cuong, the director of the center, said on Friday. At 7:00 am on Saturday, the typhoon was centered 220km east of the Philippines’ Samar Island. It is moving west at a speed of 10-15kph and will strike the central Philippines this evening, the center said. After making landfall, the typhoon may reach the East Vietnam Sea on Monday, December 8, or the following day, with winds of 134-149kph and gusts of up to 183kph, Cuong said. The typhoon will then move mainly west toward south-central Vietnam and may strike the coastal region with weaker winds on December 11 at the earliest, he added.  

The expected path of typhoon Hapupit that is forecast to hit the central Philippines on December 6 evening. Photo: Vietnam National Center for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting

However, another possibility is that the typhoon may weaken into a tropical depression after entering the East Vietnam Sea, due to the effects of two cold snaps that will arrive in the area starting December 7, Cuong said. In this case, the depression will land in south-central Vietnam amid the cold weather and such a combination will bring heavy rain with totals of 200-300mm to the region, causing many local rivers to rise, leading to flooding in many provinces, he said. In one more likelihood, the typhoon will weaken in the East Vietnam Sea and then move south, affecting the southeastern region, the official said. However, this scenario is unlikely to happen, he added.  

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