Typhoon Son-Tinh is moving fast toward the mainland of Vietnam and is expected to make landfall in the north-central region on Wednesday night, the National Center for Hydro-meteorological Forecasting reported.

The tropical storm was located about 390 kilometers east of the coastline between the northern province of Thai Binh and the north-central province of Ha Tinh as of 7:00 am on Wednesday.

Average wind speed was recorded at 75 to 90km per hour, with squalls reaching 117km an hour.

In the next 24 hours, Son-Tinh will travel westward at 25 to 30km an hour, before making landfall in the provinces from the northern city of Hai Phong to Ha Tinh Province.

The center of the storm may be in Thanh Hoa and Nghe An Provinces in the north-central region.

Wind speed will reduce slightly to between 60 and 75km per hour, while gusts will blow at up to 100km an hour.

A map detailing the route of the typhoon from July 18 to 19, 2018. Photo: National Center for Hydro-meteorological Forecasting

By Thursday morning, the storm will have weakened into a tropical depression and been located at the Vietnam-Laos border, packing winds at 40 to 50km per hour.

According to Le Thanh Hai, deputy director of the National Center for Hydro-meteorological Forecasting, Typhoon Son-Tinh is similar to that in 2012.

However, the current storm travels much faster, Hai added.

Under the influence of the typhoon, rough seas will occur in the northern part of the East Vietnam Sea, with waves as high as three to five meters.

Average rainfall of 100 to 300 millimeters accompanying strong winds is forecast to hit northern and north-central provinces, bringing about high risks of flood along local rivers and landslides in mountainous localities.

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