Heavy rains will batter Ho Chi Minh City and other provinces in southern Vietnam from now throughout this holiday weekend because of the storm Podul, according to weather forecasters.

It rained cats and dogs while gusty winds blew strongly in Ho Chi Minh City, Kien Giang Province, Ca Mau Province, Hau Giang Province, Can Tho City, An Giang Province, Dong Thap Province, Tay Ninh Province, Dong Nai Province, Ba Ria-Vung Tau Province, and others.

Rainfall will reach 100-150mm on Sunday, just ahead of National Day on Monday.

Heavier rains will strike the Central Highlands, with a rainfall of 150-250mm.

It will be rainy from the morning to the evening, accompanied by strong winds and lightning.

The core of the tropical storm Podul was 460km off the shoreline of the localities from Nghe An Province to Quang Tri Province on Thursday afternoon, packing winds at 90km per hour and counting.

The national weather service forecasts that the storm will make landfall in this region with the same wind strength on Friday afternoon.

This forecast is no different than warnings given by agencies from the U.S., Hong Kong, and Japan.

The storm Podul strengthened from a low-pressure system to the west of the Philippines on August 26 evening.

It hit the East Vietnam Sea on Wednesday morning, becoming the fourth storm to strike the waterway this year.

In 2019, nine to eleven storms and tropical depressions are expected to batter the sea, with three to four affecting mainland Vietnam.

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