The sun "burns" all spring
Many people in the Southern region said that the heat has greatly affected their spring outings and Tet celebrations because they spend a lot of time indoors to… avoid the sun. Ms. Tran Thuy Ha, a resident of Binh Phuoc province, shared that her hometown is one of the localities that often suffers the hottest sun in the South, but it has been a long time since she has seen such intense heat during Tet like this year. It was just after 9am but the sun was already burning her skin, then the heat became more and more intense, the temperature reached 36 - 37 degrees Celsius and lasted until nearly 5pm before it started to cool down. In the evening, even though the sun had set, the weather was still hot, dry and very uncomfortable.
"Because I have a small child at home and the sun is harsh, visiting and wishing my relatives a happy new year is limited. I myself have sinusitis so I often have headaches even though I limit going out. If the sun is like this on the first day of the month, it will probably be even more severe in March and April," Ms. Ha worries.
Severe heat, Ho Chi Minh City residents limit going out
Mr. Nguyen Thanh Trung, from Dong Nai, said: After finishing 3 days of spring in his hometown with the heat "like in an oven", he returned to Ho Chi Minh City to prepare to go back to work on the 6th. On the morning of the 4th, he made an appointment with his friends to go to a coffee shop in the central area and take photos of Nguyen Hue flower street. However, after finishing the first coffee of the year, everyone agreed to "go home", canceling the photo shoot because it was too hot. All the appointments and meetings were postponed to the evening. "I remember it was just after 9am but the sun was shining on my face, looking at the weather forecast on my phone it was 33 degrees Celsius. Maybe because of the heat, the city's streets have become more deserted in the past few days," Mr. Trung said.
Many people in the Western provinces also commented that this year's Tet holiday was the hottest in recent years. The heat wave began in early January and lasted throughout the Tet holiday, accompanied by strong winds.
Thousands of people waited in the sun until noon to enter the temple to pray for peace on the Jade Emperor's birthday.
According to a survey by Thanh Nien , in the first days of the new year, the roads in Ho Chi Minh City were clear because most people had returned to their hometowns or gone on spring outings, but partly because many people limited their trips due to the intense heat. In the city center, from 10am to 3pm, there were only a few foreign tourists and shippers rushing to make a living. In the evening, taking advantage of the cool weather, many people flocked to the city center to visit and take photos at Nguyen Hue flower street, book fair, etc.
Early and more intense heat due to El Nino
Normally, during the dry season every year, the Indo-Burmese low pressure in the west moves to the east and affects Vietnam. The heat waves first affect the South and then the Central and Northern provinces. This year, due to the combined impact of the El Nino phenomenon, the heat is even more severe.
According to the Southern Hydrometeorological Station, on February 15 (the 6th day of Tet), the highest temperature at Tan Son Nhat reached 36 degrees Celsius and the lowest humidity was only 35%. In recent days, the highest temperature in Ho Chi Minh City has been from 35 - 36 degrees Celsius. The areas affected by the intense heat include districts: 1, 3, 4, Tan Binh, Tan Phu, Phu Nhuan, Binh Tan, Hoc Mon, 12, Cu Chi, 7, Thu Duc City...
The heat wave will continue until the end of next week instead of ending on February 18.
Currently, the South is experiencing the most severe heat wave since the beginning of the dry season. The highest temperature recorded was 38 degrees Celsius on February 15 in Bien Hoa (Dong Nai). Meanwhile, in the Eastern provinces, the temperature is commonly from 35 - 37 degrees Celsius and in the West, 35 - 36 degrees Celsius. In the first heat wave bulletins, the Southern Hydrometeorological Station predicted that the heat wave could last until February 18 (the 9th day of Tet); but the latest update yesterday afternoon showed that the heat wave will continue for another 5 days, corresponding to around February 23 - 24. In the Eastern provinces, the temperature is commonly from 35 - 38 degrees Celsius, in the West, it is commonly 35 degrees Celsius. Thus, this heat wave could last for more than 10 days, on February 20, the temperature in Dong Nai could reach 38 degrees Celsius.
In 2023, the first severe heat wave exceeding 37 degrees Celsius occurred on April 8, with the highest temperature in So Sao (Binh Duong) at 37.5 degrees Celsius, Bien Hoa (Dong Nai) at 37.4 degrees Celsius, and Dong Phu (Binh Phuoc) at 37.2 degrees Celsius. Thus, it can be seen that this year the heat wave came more than 1 month earlier than last year and the highest temperature of the first heat wave was 0.5 - 0.6 degrees Celsius higher.
Quick view 12:00 on February 18: Weather forecast
Compared to strong El Nino years such as 2015 - 2016, 2019 - 2020, the heat wave in 2023 - 2024 will come earlier than the average of many years. Specifically, in February of 2016 and 2020, the highest temperature in the South was 37 degrees Celsius, also in Bien Hoa.
The National Center for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting reported that in January and early February, there were some localized heat waves in the Southeast region. In addition, in the past 2 months, many places had the highest absolute daily temperature values exceeding the historical values of the same period. The El Nino phenomenon will continue from now until March, from April to May 2024, El Nino tends to weaken rapidly and gradually move to a neutral state. In the Northwest region of the North and Central regions, heat waves are likely to come earlier and appear more frequently than the average of many years. From March to May 2024, nationwide, the average temperature will be about 0.5 - 1.5 degrees Celsius higher than the average of many years.
Responding to Thanh Nien , meteorological experts said that the highest temperature recorded in the 2023 hot season was 38.7 degrees Celsius in early May. With the current increasing heat trend, this year's dry season will have many more severe heat waves with the highest temperature reaching about 39 - 40 degrees Celsius in the East and 37 - 38 degrees Celsius in the West. April is also the peak of the hot season in the South, so the heat will be very severe. Many widespread heat waves with common temperatures of 35 - 38 degrees Celsius.
Need to protect health, prevent fire and explosion
Due to the effects of hot weather, low humidity in the air, there is a risk of explosions and fires in residential areas due to increased demand for electricity. For many people traveling and returning to Ho Chi Minh City in the coming days, special attention should be paid to protecting their health. For those from the North returning to Ho Chi Minh City and the Southern provinces, special attention should be paid to the high temperature difference that can easily lead to heat stroke. Hot weather can also cause dehydration, exhaustion, and heat stroke due to prolonged exposure to high temperatures.
High salinity intrusion, late rain
In January 2024, salinity intrusion in the Mekong Delta was higher than the average of many years, the salinity boundary of 4g/l in the Vam Co River was from 55 - 60 km, the Mekong River estuary from 35 - 45 km, and the Cai Lon River from 25 - 30 km.
The Central Highlands and the South will generally have little rain from March 2024, and in April, total rainfall will be 20-40 mm lower than the average of many years. In May, total rainfall will be 15-30% lower than the average of many years in the same period.
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