Packing maximum winds of 133 kph, Typhoon Krosa in the East Sea is moving west towards Vietnam’s central coastal region and may hit there a few days to come, the National Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting Center reported.
>> Typhoon Krosa moves closer to Hoang Sa Islands At 4 am today, November 2, Krosa was centered at 19.4 degrees latitude north and 116.0 degrees longitude east, about 510 km east-northeast of Hoang Sa. Winds near the eye reached 118-133 kph, with gusts of 150-183 kph. The tropical storm is moving west at a speed of 15kph but it may later change its direction to move west-southwest. Due to the storm, the northeast area of the East Sea, including the waters north off Hoang Sa Islands, will experience rough seas and strong winds of up to 102 kph as of this morning. In areas near the storm’s eye, the winds will be stronger, up to 149 kph, with gusts of over 150-183 kph. At 4 am Sunday, the typhoon will be seen about 230 km north of Hoang Sa, packing winds of up to 149 kph. Over the ensuing 24 hours, the typhoon will move mainly west-southwest at a speed of 15-20 kph. At 4 am November 4, the storm will be centered at 16.2 degrees latitude north and 108.8 degrees longitude east, in the waters off the coast of the region between Quang Tri and Quang Ngai Provinces, with winds of 62-74 kph and gusts of 75-102 kph. The typhoons will likely hit Thua Thien-Hue Province later the same day, according to the center as well as the international meteorological forecast websites from the US Navy, China and South Korea.
However, the storm may change its direction as a result of impacts of a cold front and a subtropical high pressure system that are coming in the East Sea, said Le Thanh Hai, the center’s deputy director.
In coping with the typhoon, border guard forces the region from Quang Ninh to Ba Ria-Vung Tau Province have informed more than 74,400 boats with over 363,000 people on board about the storm’s movements so that they can take safety measures in time, the National Committee for Search and Rescue reported.