A cold snap is moving towards Vietnam from China mainland and will hit the northern region of Vietnam on September 25, according to the National Hydro-meteorological Forecasting Centre.

It will be quite strong and will cause temperatures in the north to drop sharply, said Le Thanh Hai, deputy director of the centre.

Despite the mild autumn climate, northerners have experienced warm weather over the past few days, with daily temperatures rising to 34-35 degrees Celsius.

However, temperatures will fall sharply when the cold snap strikes the north on the night of September 24.

Weather experts forecast temperatures will probably drop to 20 degrees Celsius at night and 22-25 degrees Celsius during daytime.

Meanwhile, typhoon Usagi downgraded after pounding southern China on September 22, now packing winds of up to 88kmph near its centre.

The typhoon is forecast to change its course to west and south-west to head for northern border provinces of Vietnam in the coming 24 hours. It will combine with the cold snap to bring heavy rains to Vietnam’s northern region in the coming days.

Mountainous localities are warned of flash floods and landslides.-VNA