Dr. Hoàng Phúc Lâm reported that the current severe cold wave in Northern Vietnam is quite rare, marking one of the six periods with the lowest average temperatures in the past 40 years.
Cold air, rain, and wind cause a significant drop in temperatures in Northern Vietnam.
Regarding the prolonged severe cold wave in the Northern region over the past days, Dr. Hoàng Phúc Lâm, Deputy Director of the National Center for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting, stated that February is typically one of the three main months of winter in the North, so experiencing severe cold is common.
“However, the low temperatures at the end of February this year are quite rare in recent years. According to statistics over the past 40 years, the end of February this year is one of the six years with the lowest average temperatures,” he said.
According to Dr. Hoàng Phúc Lâm, the cause of this cold wave is due to a very strong cold air mass that descended upon our country on the night of February 18, which was continuously reinforced on February 19 and 20. At altitudes of 3,000-5,000 meters, a low trough in the westerly wind belt moved in, causing showers. The rain combined with wind from these two systems led to a significant drop in temperatures in the North, making it the coldest wave of this winter.
The National Center for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting reported that due to the intensified cold air, today and tonight (February 21), there will be light rain in some areas of the Northern region and Thanh Hóa, with severe cold conditions where the lowest temperatures generally range from 7-10 degrees Celsius, in mountainous areas from 2-5 degrees Celsius, and in high mountainous areas, some places may drop below 0 degrees Celsius with a high likelihood of frost and snowfall.
The area from Nghệ An to Thừa Thiên Huế will experience cold weather with the lowest temperatures generally ranging from 11-14 degrees Celsius; in the North, the weather is severely cold, with some places experiencing extreme cold with temperatures ranging from 8-11 degrees Celsius.
The Hanoi area will have light rain in some places today and tonight. The weather is severely cold with the lowest temperatures generally ranging from 7-9 degrees Celsius.
According to the National Center for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting, the severe cold in the Northern region and Thanh Hóa is expected to last until February 22.
