Typhoon Koinu, the fourth storm to hit Vietnam this year, is forecast to move westward toward the Gulf of Tonkin in the next few days before weakening, according to the national weather center.
At 10:00 am on Saturday, the storm, which was moving westward at around five kilometers per hour, was spotted some 180 kilometers southeast of Hong Kong, packing maximum sustained winds of 149 kilometers per hour, the National Center for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting said.
Previous forecasts from the national weather agency said that Koinu would approach the coast of China’s Guangdong Province and weaken after entering the East Vietnam Sea.
However, the storm suddenly regained strength on Friday afternoon.
The center predicted that Koinu could move westward at a slow speed of five kilometers per hour and then gradually weaken.
The storm may be centered some 140 kilometers south of Hong Kong by 10:00 am on Sunday.
It then could travel west-southwest at around 10 kilometers per hour over the next 72 hours before weakening into a tropical depression and then a low-pressure area in the Gulf of Tonkin.
Koinu is expected to cause strong winds, rough seas, and high waves in the northern part of the East Vietnam Sea.
All fishing vessels operating in the area will likely feel the impact of the typhoon.
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