Typhoon Conson, the fifth storm to appear in the East Vietnam Sea this year, has passed Vietnam’s Hoang Sa (Paracel) Islands and is heading to the country’s north central provinces along with heavy rains, the national weather agency reported.

At 4:00 am on Saturday, the storm was spotted at about 230km east off the coast from Quang Tri to Quang Nam Provinces, packing winds of 90 to 100 kilometers per hour and gusts of up to 133 kilometers per hour, the National Center for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting said.

Typhoon Conson is moving west at five kilometers per hour and will reach the waters off Quang Tri and Quang Nam Provinces at 4:00 am Sunday, with the strongest winds of 90 kilometers per hour.

The storm is going to bring heavy rains to many provinces, including the area between Quang Tri and Quang Ngai, and Binh Dinh, Kon Tum and Gia Lai, with rainfalls from 50 to over 100 millimeters.

Due to its impact, the northwest and middle parts of the East Vietnam Sea will turn rough with rainstorms and powerful cyclones.

In the next 24 to 48 hours, the storm will move west at a speed of five to 10 kilometers per hour and weaken into a tropical depression while moving inland.

At 4:00 am Monday, the depression with winds of 50 kilometers per hour will land in the Quang Tri - Quang Nam area before moving west to enter Laos and wane into a low-pressure system.

From now to Monday, torrential rains will cover the Quang Tri - Quang Ngai area, with precipitations ranging from 100 to 350 millimeters.

In the provinces from Quang Binh to Thanh Hoa, moderate to heavy rains, with rainfall measuring up to 250 millimeters, will take place from Sunday to Tuesday.

Binh Dinh, Kon Tum and Gia Lai Provinces will have milder rains from now until Sunday.

Meanwhile, the southern part of the East Vietnam Sea and the waters from Binh Thuan to Ca Mau Provinces are going to have strong southwest winds of up to 74 kilometers per hour and strong currents with waves as high as four meters.

Localities likely to be affected by the typhoon have checked residents living in areas prone to landslides and flash floods and taken measures to evacuate them.

More than 766,000 people in the northern mountainous provinces and central coastal provinces are expected to be evacuated from risky areas, according to the Central Steering Committee for Natural Disaster Prevention and Control.

By 6:00 am Saturday, border guards from Quang Ninh to Binh Thuan Provinces had fired firecrackers as a storm signal at 42 points, according to a quick report from the Border Guard Command.

Currently, there have been 70 ships with 640 people operating in the northern part of the East Vietnam Sea and the waters off Paracel Islands.

These vessels have received the storm warning and are moving out of the dangerous areas.

Meanwhile, border guards of Thanh Hoa Province reported they have got in contact again with three fishing boats with which they had previously lost touch and that these vessels are returning ashore.

After Typhoon Conson, six to eight other storms and tropical depressions are likely to appear in the East Vietnam Sea this year, of which two to four will directly affect Vietnam, meteorologists have warned.

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