At 4 a.m. today, the storm was spotted some 180 kilometers east of Quang Ninh-Haiphong, with wind speed recorded at the maximum level of 9, gusting at level 12, according to the National Center for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting.
The storm is forecast to move westward at five to 10 kilometers per hour and will then likely weaken into a tropical depression tonight after making landfall.
The tropical depression, centered in the northeastern areas as of 4 a.m. on August 3, is predicted to move west-southwest at 10 kilometers per hour from August 3-4, packing winds at level 7 and gusting at level 9.
Also, gale-force winds at the maximum level of 9 may howl around the northern island districts of Bach Long Vi, Co To, Cat Hai and Van Don, with rough seas and high tides, while heavy downpours are forecast in the northern and north-central localities between August 2 and 4.
Meanwhile, other provinces and cities in the central, central highlands, and southern areas may see showers and thunderstorms, along with gusting wind.
Multiple flights canceled due to Storm No.3
Vietnam Airlines (VNA) has rescheduled many flights to and from airports in Haiphong and Van Don between August 2 and 3 due to the impacts of Wipha.
The national flag carrier canceled flights VN1186, VN1189, VN1192, VN1193 and VN1194 on the HCMC-Haiphong route on August 2. Besides this, passengers traveling on flights VN1184 and VN1187 had to depart earlier than scheduled to arrive at Haiphong airport before noon today, since the airport has to temporarily shut down until August 3 due to bad weather conditions.
VNA also canceled other flights operating on the Danang-Haiphong and HCMC-Van Don routes on August 2.
Also, the carrier canceled flight VN1181 on the HCMC-Haiphong route and rescheduled two other flights on the same route on August 3.
For passengers affected by the cancelations and rescheduling, VNA is operating additional round-trip flights on the Hanoi-Danang/HCMC routes and has replaced aircraft on the HCMC-Hanoi route with larger ones. Passengers can then travel from Hanoi to Haiphong, Van Don or other localities more easily.
Low-cost airline Vietjet also canceled a combined 24 flights connecting Haiphong with other domestic destinations and Bangkok in Thailand over the two days. Some other flights were rescheduled as a domino effect.
Carriers have advised passengers traveling to and from airports in Haiphong, Van Don, Vinh and Dien Bien during the storm to remain updated on weather forecasts.
