Cold snap hits Hanoi before new year

The ongoing frigid weather in northern Vietnam will continue during the last week of 2022 as a new cold spell will start hitting the region, including the capital city of Hanoi, causing bone-chilling weather, according to the National Center for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting (NCHMF).

The existing cold wave has caused a drop in temperatures in northern localities over the past two days. On December 28 morning, temperatures hovered around 13-15 degrees Celsius in Hanoi and 10 degrees Celsius in mountainous areas.

The cold wave will bring temperatures in the capital city down to 10 degrees Celsius on the afternoon and evening of December 28 and even to 6 degrees Celsius or lower in the higher areas, where rain with frost is expected, the center forecasts.

Hanoians have to bundle up against the biting cold weather. Raincoats are not only water resistant but also windproof. Photo: Duy Khanh/ The Hanoi Times

“Hanoi and other Northern localities will experience rain Wednesday and Thursday. However, after New Year's Eve, the cold will subside, and the weather will turn sunny again. On December 31, temperatures would rise to 12-19 degrees, while the first two days of the new year would see temperatures at 12-21 degrees,” said the NCHMF.

In Hanoi, the chilly weather will be intensified by light rain and strong wind in some places, with the lowest temperatures ranging from 7-9 degrees Celsius.

The center added that the cold spell would sweep through northern Vietnam before moving south, resulting in showers and driving down temperatures in Hanoi by around ten degrees.

It will be cold and wet on Wednesday and Thursday before becoming dry and frigid on Friday. In mountainous areas, the mercury may dip below 7 degrees Celsius, resulting in frost on such high mountains as Mau Son, Dong Van, and Fansipan.

As the northern and north-central regions languish in the grip of biting cold, frost has appeared in some high mountainous areas. The temperature is forecast to drop between 6-9 degrees Celsius or even lower tonight.

“Residents, especially the elderly and children, are advised to protect themselves from the chilly weather, as a sudden drop in temperature can cause various respiratory diseases. People should don extra jackets and bundle up against the biting cold,” the NCHMF noted.

Residents in Hanoi have struggled with cold weather over the past few days as the extremely strong cold front caused temperatures to plummet against the average of at least 30 degrees in tropical Vietnam year-round.

In response to the cold conditions, weather forecast centers are asked to increase daily weather updates and reports, particularly those in ethnic languages for ethnic minorities living in remote and mountainous regions, and to provide advice to help people who work outdoors to protect themselves from the hazards of the cold.

As the northern regions languish in the grip of biting cold, frost covers trees in Vietnam's mountainous provinces. Photo: VTC

As the northern and north-central regions are plunged into the cold, frost has appeared in some high mountainous areas in the northern provinces of Lai Chau, Lao Cai, and Yen Bai for the last few days.

In the localities from Nghe An to Thua Thien-Hue, the mercury will mark around 14-17 degrees Celsius. Winds of 13-20km per hour will be recorded on the mainland and 20-40km an hour in these coastal areas.

Temperatures are expected to climb up towards the weekend. The weather pattern is likely to repeat between December and February, the NCHMF stated.