Heavy rains pound central Vietnam as tropical storm Noul approaches landfall

As of 8am the storm was located in the sea off the stretch of coast from Quang Binh to Da Nang, packing winds of 75-90 kilometres per hour near its eye, with gusts of over 100 kilometres per hour.

Over the next 12 hours, it is expected to reach the Vietnamese mainland in the area from Quang Binh to Thua Thien Hue and then weaken into a tropical depression as it moves across Laos and Thailand.

The storm had already brought strong winds and torrential rains of between 150-250 millimetres to the central region in the past six hours, the national agency reported as of 9am.

Rain is expected to continue throughout the day, with a volume of 100-200 millimetres for the region from Ha Tinh to Quang Ngai, and even up to 250 millimetres in some areas.

The Red River Delta region as well as the provinces of Thanh Hoa and Nghe An can expect rains of 100-150 millimetres over the weekend.

According to initial reports, strong winds in the early morning of September 18 knocked down trees and damaged houses and other facilities in Thua Thien Hue Province but no human injuries were recorded.

Prior to Noul’s arrival, provinces and cities in the storm zone have banned all vessels from going out to the sea and instructed fishing boats currently operating on the sea to navigate away from danger.

Local residents were evacuated from areas prone to landslides and flash floods while rice and other crops have been harvested ahead of time in order to minimise losses.

Provincial authorities also ordered school closures on the two days of September 18 and 19 and students were advised to not visit dangerous sites such as rivers and lakes during the period of storm and rain.