A tropical depression originated from the weakened Son Ca Storm in the East Vietnam Sea has entered the mainland of central Quang Nam and Quang Ngai Provinces early Saturday morning, bringing torrential rains, especially in Thua Thien Hue Province and Da Nang City.

Son Ca, the Vietnamese name registered by Vietnam with the World Meteorological Organization, is the fifth storm that has hit Vietnam so far this year, causing downpours and heavy flooding in central Vietnam, the National Center for Hydrometeorological Forecasting reported.

The circulation of tropical depression has caused downpours in many central localities from Friday evening, with rainfalls measured for nine hours from 7:00 pm on the same day amounting to 550 millimeters in Thua Thien Hue, 382 millimeters in Da Nang and 228 millimeters in Quang Nam Province.

Such torrential rains have triggered serious flooding in many provinces and cities, especially in Da Nang, where residents said they have never experienced such a severe flood over the past decades.

At 4:00 am on Saturday, the tropical depression, which moved northwest at a speed of 15 - 20 km per hour, was centered in the Quang Nam - Quang Ngai area, packing strong winds with gusts reaching 74 km per hour.

The depression has since continued moving in the same direction and weakened into a low pressure in the southern region of neighboring Laos.

There have yet to be initial reports about damage caused by the depression’s landfall in central Vietnam.

Due to the depression, moderate to heavy rains will continue hitting many central localities during Saturday, with precipitation likely reaching over 300 millimeters in some places in the area from south Ha Tinh to Thua Thien Hue, the center said.

Rainfalls in many areas in Da Nang and Quang Nam during the same day may amount to over 120 millimeters.

From Saturday until the end of Sunday, moderate to heavy rains and thunderstorms will cover the area from the south of Ha Tinh to Quang Ngai.

The center forecast that the rainy weather will likely decline from Sunday night.

Torrential rains brought in by circulation of the depression has also caused levels of many rivers in many central provinces to rise, the center said.

At 1:00 am on Saturday, many rivers in Thua Thien Hue and Quang Nam were increasing rapidly, while the rivers in Quang Tri and Quang Binh began fluctuating at higher levels than normal.

Within the next six to 12 hours, the water level of the Vu Gia River in Quang Nam will likely peak at 9.2 meters, 0.2 meters above the alarm level, while many rivers in Thua Thien Hue will see water keep rising.

Over the next 12 to 24 hours, the Thu Bon River at Quang Nam’s Cau Lau bridge area will continue to rise and the same situation will take place at the Huong River in Hue City.

Therefore, flooding is likely to continue in low-lying, riverside and urban areas in the central region, including Thua Thien Hue, Quang Binh to Quang Nam.

In addition, there is a very high risk of flash floods in lowlands and landslides in the midland and mountainous areas.

Local authorities should take precaution measures to cope with the risk and ensure safety for people and hydroelectric and irrigation projects, particularly the small and vulnerable ones, the agency advised.

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