WATCH CLIP: Dr. Hoang Phuc Lam, Deputy Director of the National Center for Meteorological and Hydrological Forecasting, gives his assessment of the cold front expected to arrive this weekend.

According to the National Center for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting, around Saturday afternoon (January 20th), Northern Vietnam will be affected by a cold front from the Northeast monsoon. However, this is only the front part of a strong cold air mass that is behind it and will be further strengthened and spread into our country next Monday (January 22nd).

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A cold front arrived this weekend, bringing rain and intense cold to the North. Photo: Bao Khanh

Due to the influence of the Northeast monsoon, followed by an additional cold front, the weather forecast for the northern provinces predicts a drop in temperature from the evening and night of January 20th. From January 22nd onwards, the weather will become intensely cold, with widespread frost damage.

Further discussing this cold front, Dr. Hoang Phuc Lam, Deputy Director of the National Center for Meteorological and Hydrological Forecasting, said that it is likely to be strong and affect a very wide area.

“The Northern and North Central regions are heavily affected by the cold air mass, resulting in widespread severe cold weather. The Northern region is likely to experience rain from January 20th to 22nd, making it feel very cold. In addition, the North and Central Central regions, and the area from Thanh Hoa to Quang Ngai, will also experience rain, with some areas experiencing moderate to heavy rain and thunderstorms, under the influence of the cold air mass. Therefore, it can be said that this strong cold air mass will affect all of the Northern region as well as the Central region,” Mr. Lam said.

At sea, under the influence of the cold air mass and the northeast wind field, strong northeast winds and rough seas occurred in all three areas of the South China Sea (North, Central, and South), including the Hoang Sa and Truong Sa island districts.

Mr. Lam also shared that the Great Cold period is one of the 24 solar terms in the year. Each solar term lasts about two weeks. The Great Cold period is a time from January 20th or 21st to February 4th or 5th. Similar to the division of seasons: spring, summer, autumn, and winter, or months from January to December, each season, month, or solar term has different climatic characteristics, with a probability of occurrence exceeding 50%. During the Great Cold period, the climate is usually colder than other solar terms. Therefore, severe cold spells and frost during the Great Cold period are completely normal.

“With the upcoming cold spell, due to the strong intensity of the cold air mass, we predict that the lowest temperatures during this cold spell in mountainous areas could drop below 7 degrees Celsius, and in high mountainous areas, they could reach approximately 0 degrees Celsius. In the plains, including Hanoi, temperatures could drop to 8-10 degrees Celsius. Information regarding Hanoi's weather, with temperatures potentially falling to 5-6 degrees Celsius, is also a possibility, but at this time, it's not the most likely scenario,” shared Dr. Hoang Phuc Lam.

Latest assessment of the upcoming strong cold front: Temperatures below 0°C in some areas . The cold front, expected to arrive this weekend, is predicted to be strong, causing prolonged severe cold weather in Northern and North Central Vietnam. Hanoi could see temperatures drop below 10°C; high mountainous areas could experience temperatures below 0°C, with a risk of frost and snow.