More scorching weather is expected to sweep through Vietnam, leaving the Central Highlands and south-central region at risk of drought, while the rainy season in the southern region may arrive later than usual this year, according to the national weather agency.

The northwestern and central regions may begin experiencing a heatwave in the second half of this month, Hoang Phuc Lam, deputy director of the National Center for Hydro-meteorological Forecasting, told a conference on Thursday.

The blistering weather is predicted to reach its peak between May and June in the northwestern region and from June to July in the northeastern localities.

In central Vietnam, the heatwave could occur from April to August in the localities running from north-central Thanh Hoa Province to south-central Khanh Hoa Province.

Residents in southern Vietnam will likely experience extremely high temperatures from March to April, the national weather center warned, adding the hot weather may persist until May.

This year, the country is expected to see more heatwaves than it did before, with temperatures between April and May averaging around two degrees Celsius above the levels seen in previous years.

From mid-2024 onward, the monsoon season could become more extreme in the Central Highlands and southern regions, with much more rainfall expected for the south during the final months of the year.

Possible drought and water undersupply may wreak havoc from April to June in several provinces like Binh Thuan, Kon Tum, Gia Lai, and Dak Lak, and from May to August in central localities including Quang Nam, Quang Ngai, and Phu Yen, Lam said.

Speaking at the conference, Hoang Duc Cuong, deputy director of the Vietnam Meteorological and Hydrological Administration, under the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, said that unusual natural disasters have hit the country since the beginning of the year, such as extreme cold snaps in the north between February and March.

Aside from the prolonged heatwave, severe saltwater intrusion has badly affected daily activities and agricultural production in the south, Cuong said.

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