On the heels of deadly Tropical Storm Toraji, a budding tropical storm will bring a renewed risk of flooding and mudslides to Vietnam later this week.
On Sunday, at least 13 people are dead and four others remain missing after landslides destroyed several homes and buried victims in some villages in the resort city of Nha Trang.
Torrential rain from Toraji is being blamed for triggering the landslides.
According to preliminary weather data, nearly 380 mm (15 inches) of rain inundated Nha Trang over the course of 18 hours ending early Sunday afternoon, local time.
As cleanup and recovery efforts continue, residents are being put on alert for a new tropical danger later this week.
The tropical depression unloading heavy rain on the Philippines early this week is expected to slam into southern Vietnam at the end of the week.
“The warm waters of the South China Sea will cause the depression to strengthen into a strong tropical storm or minimal typhoon before it reaches Vietnam,” according to AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Dave Houk.
The next tropical storm in the western Pacific Ocean will be named Man-yi.
As the storm strengthens, seas will build and become dangerous for boaters and swimmers across the South China Sea.
The storm is expected to make landfall between Qui Nhon and Vung Tau during the time frame from Friday afternoon to early Saturday (local time). Nha Trang lies within this corridor.
The storm can produce strong winds capable of causing tree damage, power outages and damage to weak structures in the vicinity of where it makes landfall. Coastal flooding can also occur near and north of where the storm moves onshore.
“The greatest danger from the storm will be flooding and mudslides as there can be an AccuWeather Local StormMax™ of 450 mm (18 inches) of rain in southern Vietnam,” Houk said.
The recent inundation from Toraji has made the region more susceptible to such dangers.
Residents living in areas prone to flooding or landslides should prepare for potential evacuations and heed all warnings from local officials.
Roads and bridges may get damaged by the landslides or raging rivers or streams. That can cut off some remote communities, preventing them from receiving aid or supplies via vehicles after the storm.
While the storm may lose its wind intensity as it pushes farther inland, flooding rain may still press into eastern Cambodia early in the weekend.
The danger can then spread to north-central Vietnam and China’s Hainan Island later in the weekend and early next week.
Read full article on AccuWeather