The cold air will affect Northern Vietnam from January 15 to January 29 (from the 24th day of the last lunar month to the 8th day of the first lunar month), causing severe cold with average daytime temperatures dropping to 15 degrees Celsius and below.
Mr. Nguyen Van Huong, Head of the Weather Forecast Department at the National Center for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting, stated that from January 15 to January 18 (the 24th to the 27th day of the last lunar month), strong cold air will begin to sweep down into Northern Vietnam, resulting in overcast skies, light rain, and severe cold, particularly in mountainous and midland areas.
From January 19 to January 24 (the 28th day of the last lunar month to the 3rd day of the Lunar New Year), Northern Vietnam will be deeply entrenched in the cold air mass, with mountainous areas continuing to experience severe cold, and average daytime temperatures falling to 13-15 degrees Celsius. Hanoi and the northeastern provinces will see drizzling rain; the forecasted average daytime temperature in Hanoi is expected to be between 15-17 degrees Celsius.
From January 25 to January 29 (the 4th to the 8th day of the first lunar month), the cold air will strengthen, leading to light rain across Northern Vietnam, with mountainous regions experiencing severe cold and even frost in some areas.
Residents of Hanoi use heating during the cold wave in December 2022. (Photo: Gia Chinh).
The American website Accuweather predicts that Hanoi will drop to a low of 9-10 degrees from January 16 to January 18 (the 25th to the 28th day of the last lunar month), with a maximum temperature of only 14 degrees; from January 19 to January 22, the temperature will increase to 12-24 degrees Celsius. In high-altitude areas above 1,500 meters, such as Sa Pa (Lao Cai), temperatures from January 25 to January 28 will be between 3-9 degrees, rising to 5-10 degrees Celsius during the Lunar New Year.
The Central Region is forecasted to be affected by the cold air during the Lunar New Year 2023, with scattered rain showers. The provinces from Thua Thien Hue northward will have maximum temperatures below 24 degrees; from Da Nang to Quang Ngai below 27 degrees; and Binh Dinh to Binh Thuan below 31 degrees Celsius.
The Central Highlands and Southern Vietnam will see gradually rising temperatures before the Lunar New Year, with a decrease in out-of-season rain. During the holiday period, due to the influence of the cold air, temperatures in these two regions will not be too high, ranging from 29-32 degrees Celsius.
Forecasts for the early months of 2023 indicate that national temperatures will be close to the multi-year average, with higher temperatures expected in the latter months. Heatwaves will be more frequent and intense compared to 2022, with heatwaves anticipated from April to August in the Northern and Central Regions.
