Under the effects of a tropical depression near Vietnam’s Truong Sa (Spratly) archipelago, it has been forecast to rain over southern Vietnamese provinces this week.

The low-pressure system was situated some 130 kilometers northwest of Huyen Tran Island, part of Truong Sa in the southern part of the East Vietnam Sea, at around 1:00 am on Monday, packing winds of 40 to 60km per hour and squalls of up to 88kph, the National Center for Hydro-meteorological Forecasting said.

The depression is expected to travel northwest at a velocity of 10km per hour and reach the coastline of the southern provinces from Ba Ria-Vung Tau to Soc Trang by Tuesday morning.

In the next 24 to 48 hours, the system will continue its path toward the west at the same speed, causing medium to heavy rains, between 100 and 200 millimeters, accompanied by occasional thunderstorms, in southern Vietnam.

According to Vu Anh Tuan, head of the department of short-term forecasts at the forecasting center, there are chances that the tropical depression could develop into a storm, which will later dissipate at sea or weaken into a low-pressure area.

This year’s stormy season has been anticipated to continue till the end of December or even January next year under the influences of the La Nina phenomenon, said Nguyen Kiet, head of the Southern Hydrometeorology Station.

The Search and Rescue Committee in Ho Chi Minh City on Sunday evening announced certain measures to cope with the effects of the tropical depression.

Due to rainfall and high tide, the water level in the Saigon River will rise and can cause inundation in several parts of the city, with tides forecast to peak at 1.62 meters high on Thursday.

Under the effects of the northeasterly wind, rough seas will be brought to the northern part of the East Vietnam Sea.

Showers are also predicted in localities from the central province of Quang Tri to the south-central province of Ninh Thuan from Wednesday to Saturday, posing risks of flash floods and landslides.

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