(VOVWORLD) - The number of storms and tropical depressions in the East Sea this year will likely surpass yearly average, with up to 5 more projected to form in the last quarter of this year, 2-3 of which expected to hit Vietnam.
 A satellite image of the eye of Typhoon Yagi in the East Sea. (Photo: National Center for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting) |
According to Institute of Hydrology, Meteorology Science and Climate Change, the El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) is currently in a neutral state with sea surface temperatures in the equatorial region and central Pacific measured around minus 0.5 degrees Celsius from mid-August to early September. However, ENSO may shift toward La Niña in the last quarter of the year, it added.
Persisting La Nina conditions till year end may lead to unpredictable storm’s behavior in the East Sea and up to 1.9 more storms than yearly average, predominantly affecting central and southern Vietnam, said the National Center for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting. Storms and tropical depressions formed directly in the East Sea in particular, are causes for caution.
Typhoon Yagi, the third of the 4 storms formed so far this year in the East Sea, left 330 people dead and missing in Vietnam, and caused an estimated 2.6 billion USD in economic losses.