Tropical storm Conson gathers strength as it moves towards Vietnam

Tropical storm Conson is forecast to strengthen as it moves west-northwest towards Vietnam’s Hoang Sa (Paracel) Islands after drenching the Philippines, according to the national weather agency.

The projected path of Conson (Photo: NCHMF)
The projected path of Conson (Photo: NCHMF)

As of 7am on September 9, the system was located 670 kilometres to the east-southeast of Hoang Sa, sustaining wind speeds of 75-90 kilometres per hour near its eye and with gusts of up to 120 kilometres per hour.

Over the next 24 hours, Conson, the fifth storm to hit Vietnam this year, will travel at a speed of 15-20 kilometres per hour and increase in intensity.

The storm will be located 280 kilometres to the east of Hoang Sa by 7am on September 10, with wind speeds of up to 100 kilometres per hour and gusts of over 120 kilometres per hour.

The national weather agency said the path and intensity of Conson will be highly complicated in the coming days due to the interaction with super typhoon Chanthu off the Philippine coast.

After Conson, it is forecast that there will be 1-2 more tropical cyclones in the East Sea/South China Sea during September.