A tropical depression forming off southern Vietnam strengthened into a storm on Saturday evening before being downgraded on Sunday morning.

The storm, named Toraji, developed at around 6:00 pm yesterday, packing winds at 60 to 75km per hour and gusts at up to 100km an hour, according to the National Center for Hydro-meteorological Forecasting.

It was the eighth storm to have hit the Southeast Asian country since the beginning of the year.

Toraji then weakened into a tropical depression on early Sunday morning and was located about 130 kilometers southeast of the south-central province of Ninh Thuan as of 4:00 am.

Average wind speed lowered to between 50 and 60km per hour.

The low-pressure system is forecast to travel westward in the next 12 hours, reaching the coastline between the southern province of Ba Ria-Vung Tau and south-central Binh Thuan Province at 4:00 pm on Sunday.

Wind speed will continue dropping to about 45km per hour.

In the next 12 to 24 hours, the tropical depression will travel southwest and be downgraded to a low-pressure zone.

Rain is expected to dampen localities in the south-central region, Central Highlands, and southern region on Sunday due to the effect of the low-pressure system.

Rough seas and waves as high as two to four meters will occur in the maritime area from Ninh Thuan to Ba Ria-Vung Tau Provinces during the period.

Floods will occur in rivers across south-central Vietnam on Sunday and Monday, entailing risks of landslides, flashfloods, and inundation in some areas.

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