Northern Vietnam can expect rainy and chilly weather from Thursday afternoon onward as a cold spell sweeps through the region.

This shift in weather patterns will gradually alleviate the recent heat that has prevailed in certain areas over the past few days, according to the central weather agency.

The weather patterns will first affect the northeastern region and then the northwestern and north-central areas from late February 22, the National Center for Hydrometeorological Forecasting said on Wednesday. 

Accordingly, inland winds in the northern region will shift to northeast at 19 kph from February 22 afternoon, and the cold weather will strike many provinces including Lao Cai, Yen Bai, and Hoa Binh on the following day.

Comparable weather conditions are anticipated in Thanh Hoa Province in the north-central region.

High mountainous areas are expected to encounter chilly temperatures below 12 degrees Celsius, while other regions will experience relatively higher mercury, ranging from 15 to 20 degrees.

The incoming cold front is expected to alleviate the daytime heat, which reached up to 35 degrees on Wednesday in the northwestern region and the Thanh Hoa-Thua Thien-Hue area in the north-central part, the center said.

As affected by the coming cold spell, rains will hit the northern region from Thursday evening through this weekend, while showers and thunderstorms will affect the north-central part a day later, possibly together with whirlwinds, lightning, hail and strong squalls, the center warned.

The northern part of the Gulf of Tonkin will have rough seas with sea waves rising up to 2.5 meters with winds of 38 kph from Thursday evening.

Stronger winds, up to 74 kph, and higher sea waves, reaching four meters, will be seen in the northern area of the East Vietnam Sea.

Such weather at sea will likely have adverse impacts on travel as well as other activities offshore.

Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!