Places with opportunities to hunt snow in the Northern mountains

During the cold spell starting this weekend, some high mountain areas in Lao Cai, Yen Bai and Ha Giang are forecast to have snowfall.

According to the site's forecast Accuweather (USA), on the afternoon of February 7, the temperature in some highland provinces such as Ha Giang and Lao Cai fluctuates from 5 to 7 degrees Celsius. On the night of February 7 and morning of February 8, the temperature dropped to 3 to 5 degrees Celsius.

Experts from the Department of Hydrometeorology and Oceanography, Hanoi University of Science, said the conditions for snowfall are temperatures below 0 degrees Celsius and high humidity (nearly 100%), light rain.

According to weather forecasts, experts say that there is a high chance of snow in this cold spell early in the morning of February 7 or 8. Some places where snow may fall are: Fansipan (Lao Cai); Dong Van, Meo Vac (Ha Giang) and some mountainous districts of the province Yen Bai.

In January 2025, there were three cold air waves that swept down to the North. Of which, the wave on January 26 caused temperatures in many places to drop below 5 degrees Celsius, such as Sa Pa (Lao Cai), Dong Van (Ha Giang), causing snowfall. Temperatures across most of the country were 0.5-1.5 degrees Celsius lower than the average of many years.

Photographer Vu Minh Quan, who has successfully hunted snow many times, said that normally, when the temperature drops in the North, frost will appear, but it does not always snow. Snow falls from the clouds above, while frost forms right on the ground, due to the freezing of water vapor.

"It's not true that it will snow if it's really cold. Cold weather with light rain is most likely to snow. If it's too dry, it's unlikely to snow even if it's very cold," said Mr. Quan.

If the temperature in Hanoi drops to 6-7 degrees, the northern mountainous region may have snow when the temperature is around 0 degrees. In Vietnam, snow usually falls for a very short time, sometimes only a few hours a day, a day like the heavy snowfalls in 2013, 2016 and 2021.

In addition, Mr. Quan also added that hunting for snow sometimes requires "luck". "The most certain thing is to see the announcement of snow before arriving" or if not, you have to stay a few days there. snow potential spots during cold spells.

When hunting for snow, visitors should have enough warm clothes, indispensable items are hats, socks and scarves. Clothing includes many layers: moisture-proof layer, heat-retaining layer, insulation layer and wind-proof layer (rainproof). Wearing tight pants inside will help keep the heat better.

Source