Experts warn about an early arrival of extremely cold spells this year

The information was revealed by Mai Van Khiem, director of the National Center for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting, during a July 13 conference held to discuss natural disaster prevention across northern mountainous regions this year.

Khiem noted that El Niño–Southern Oscillation, the climate phenomenon referring to the cycle of warm and cold temperatures, including El Niño, La Niña, and the Southern Oscillation, will transition to La Nina by the end of the year. Some of the unique features of the La Nina phenomenon include an increase in the number of storms and tropical depressions along with unpredictable temperatures whose consequences can be considered difficult to predict.

As a result of the weather changes, he said winter is anticipated to arrive earlier than normal, with northern mountainous areas expected to be hit by spells of severe cold.

In line with this, storms and tropical depressions are expected to occur in northern regions in August and September.

It was reported that a total of 92 natural disasters have occurred since the beginning of the year, including thunderstorms, whirlwinds, hail storms, and flash floods. Moreover, 12 earthquakes have also hit the country.

The opening six months of the year alone have seen a total of 19 people killed and 79 others injured, more than 1,600 homes collapse and 52,015 further houses damaged or lose their roofs. Approximately 10,000 hectares of crops have been submerged over the course of the year, causing losses totaling VND610 billion, equivalent to US$26.3 million. VOV