The forecast path of storm Podul. Source: National Centre for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting

At 7am on August 28, the storm’s centre was at 17 degrees north and 118 degrees east, around 620km to the east of Hoang Sa (Paracel) archipelago. The strongest winds close to the storm’s eye have reached level 8 (60-75km per hour), with gusts at level 10.

The storm is forecast to move westward at around 30km per hour, and is likely to gain strength. It is expected to be right on the Hoang Sa waters at 7am on August 29.

On August 30, Podul is forecast to move in the west-northwest direction at a speed of 15km, with winds at its centre expected to reach level 9 or 10 (75-100 km per hour), with gusts at level 12.

The storm is likely to land on the shore from Thanh Hoa to Quang Ninh on August 31 and then weaken into a tropical depression./.

VNF/VNA