A strong cold air mass is moving southward and is expected to hit northern and central Vietnam starting Saturday evening, bringing a sharp drop in temperatures, strong winds, and potential frost in mountainous areas, according to the National Center for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting.

The cold spell will first impact northeastern provinces and the north-central region before expanding to northwestern provinces, central Vietnam, and some south-central areas. 

Inland areas may experience northeasterly winds of 12-28 kilometers per hour, while coastal regions could see gusts reaching 49 kilometers per hour. 

From Saturday night, the northern and north-central regions will turn cold, with temperatures ranging from 13 to 16 degrees Celsius in the plains and below 10 degrees Celsius in mountainous areas.

In the north-central region, temperatures will range between 14 and 17 degrees Celsius. 

By Monday, the Quang Binh to Hue region will also turn chilly, with minimum temperatures between 17 and 19 degrees Celsius.

In Hanoi, temperatures will drop to 14-16 degrees Celsius from Saturday night.

In addition to colder temperatures, scattered showers and thunderstorms are expected from Saturday night into early Sunday in the northern and north-central provinces. 

The national weather agency has warned of hail, lightning, and strong winds during thunderstorms.

Before the arrival of the cold wave, Hanoi and some northwestern provinces will experience high humidity, drizzle, and fog from Friday to Saturday, with temperatures between 20 and 26 degrees Celsius. 

Damp conditions will persist in Hanoi and northeastern provinces, but the humidity is expected to decrease from Saturday afternoon as the northeast monsoon strengthens.

The cold air mass will also impact coastal and maritime areas. 

Starting Saturday night, the Gulf of Tonkin will see northeasterly winds of 50-61 kilometers per hour, gusting up to 88 kilometers per hour, with rough seas and waves reaching 2-3.5 meters.

The northern part of the East Vietnam Sea, including Vietnam's Hoang Sa (Paracel) archipelago, will experience similar wind speeds and waves up to 5.5 meters.

By Sunday night, the coastal areas from Quang Tri to Ca Mau will see worsening sea conditions, with winds reaching up to 74 kilometers per hour and waves as high as four meters.

In response to the forecast adverse weather, the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment issued a warning to the coastal provinces from Quang Ninh to Kien Giang, advising fishing vessels to take precautions and adjust operations to ensure safety.

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