15 storms to enter Việt Nam in 2017
El Nino, which is forecast to last until the end of 2017, will cause drought and salinity intrusion in many areas of the country during the dry season, said Lê Thanh Hải, Deputy General Director of the National Hydro-Meteorological Centre on Wednesday. Hoàng Phúc Lâm, head of the meteorological forecasting department at the National Hydro-Meteorological Centre, said El Nino’s intensity would not be as strong as the 2015-2016 period. El Nino would reduce the number of storms and tropical depressions in the East Sea and directly affect the country’s mainland. According to the centre’s forecast the 2017 rainy season will see 13 to 15 storms and tropical depressions in the East Sea. “Although the number of storms and tropical depression will decrease, the risk of strong storms is very high,” Lâm said. “Localities should be prepared for a year of unusual occurrence of storms. El Nino will last until the end of 2017.”
