Storm Nakri forecast to make U-turn and head to central Vietnam

Tropical storm Nakri, the sixth storm to affect Vietnam in 2019, is moving slowly eastwards and is expected to change course and head to Vietnam’s central region in the next 24 hours.

The projected path of tropical storm Nakri (Photo: NCHMF)
The projected path of tropical storm Nakri (Photo: NCHMF)

As of 7am on November 7, the storm was about 380 kilometres to the northeast of Song Tu Tay Island in the Truong Sa (Spratly) archipelago, with sustained winds of 75-100 kilometres per hour and gusts of 118-133 kilometres per hour.

Over the next 24 hours, Nakri is forecast to remain quasi-stationary and then likely to turn and move slowly west while gaining further strength, according to Vietnam’s national weather agency NCHMF.

On November 8 at 7am, the system will be about 320 kilometres to the northeast of Song Tu Tay Island where the maximum sustained winds could reach 115 kilometres per hour and gusts could surpass 150 kilometres per hour.

After two days, the tropical storm will be just 180 kilometres away from the coast of the provinces from Quang Ngai to Khanh Hoa, according to NCHMF projections.

After making landfall on Vietnam’s central coast, Nakri is expected to weaken and dissipate.