El Nino weather patterns to be harsh through early 2016

The El Nino weather patterns are expected to be severe between this October and next February, possibly causing serious water shortages in many areas across Vietnam, experts forecast.

El Nino has already been affecting local weather conditions. It will peak in late 2015 and early 2016 and ease in the following months, Dr. Nguyen Van Hiep from the Vietnam Institute of Meteorology, Hydrology and Climate Change said at a forum in Hanoi on October 2.

As a result, temperatures could be as much as 2 degrees Celsius higher than traditional averages from this October to next February while acute water shortages will appear in many areas, especially the north, north central coast, Central Highlands and south, he added.

He predicted fewer cold spells during the period but those that do occur will be more extreme, Hiep said.

Nguyen Dang Quang from the National Hydro-meteorological Service said there will be three or four storms and tropical depressions in the East Sea fewer than the regular average from now to December. One or two storms and depressions could directly impact mainland Vietnam but are unlikely to roll up to the northern region.

He also warned of critical saltwater intrusion in early 2016 in the south and a lack of rains during the rainy season in the central region.

At the forum, Deputy General Director of the national service Tran Hong Thai noted a number of extreme weather conditions reported in 2015 such as the spell of historic torrential rains in the northern province of Quang Ninh, the prolonged drought in the central region and the complex saltwater intrusion in the south.

The function, held by the National Hydro-meteorological Service and the Asian Disaster Preparedness Centre, was part of cooperation activities funded by the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.-VNA