The South China Sea welcomes its first tropical depression.

TPO - On the evening of June 3rd, the low-pressure area in the eastern part of the East Sea strengthened into a tropical depression with wind speeds of level 6, gusting to level 8. This is the first tropical depression to operate in the East Sea this year, and it is unlikely to affect the mainland of Vietnam.

At 7:00 AM this morning, the center of the tropical depression was located at approximately 18.4 degrees North latitude and 116.6 degrees East longitude, in the sea area east of the North East Sea, about 500km east-northeast of the Hoang Sa Special Administrative Region.

The strongest winds in the area near the center of the tropical depression are at level 6 (39-49 km/h), with gusts up to level 8.

Forecasts indicate that in the coming days, the tropical depression will move northeast at a speed of approximately 20km/h, then gradually weaken into a low-pressure area, unlikely to directly affect the mainland of Vietnam.

Due to the influence of the tropical depression, the eastern part of the North East Sea is experiencing strong winds of force 6, gusting to force 8, with waves 2-4 meters high and rough seas. Vessels operating in these dangerous areas are likely to be affected by thunderstorms, tornadoes, strong winds, and high waves.

Predicted path of the tropical depression.

According to experts, with the ENSO phenomenon (an abnormal change in sea surface and atmospheric temperature in the equatorial Pacific) likely to shift to a strong El Nino phase later this year, the South China Sea will experience fewer typhoons and tropical depressions than the multi-year average.

However, there is a risk of unusual storms, both in intensity and direction, given the very warm surface temperatures in the Northwest Pacific and the South China Sea.

In addition, experts also warned of the risk of storms forming directly over the South China Sea with unpredictable developments and a very short time frame for impacting the mainland.

Prior to 2025, the South China Sea recorded 21 typhoons and tropical depressions (15 typhoons, 6 tropical depressions), becoming the year with the highest number of active typhoons/tropical depressions in observation history, surpassing the 20 storms of 2017.

Source: https://tienphong.vn/bien-dong-don-ap-thap-nhiet-doi-dau-tien-post1848730.tpo