Typhoon Narra Circles Erratic Path Over Gulf of Tonkin

Typhoon Narra, the fourth typhoon to hit Vietnam this season, is expected to linger and move unpredictably over the Gulf of Tonkin for several days. As of 1 p.m. on August 22, the storm's eye was located about 100 km north of Bach Long Vi island, with winds reaching up to 74 km/h and gusts of 87 km/h.

Forecasters attribute the typhoon's slow and looping path to its position within a tropical convergence zone and weak steering currents. The storm is expected to move slowly, averaging 3-5 km/h, with its direction shifting over the next 72 hours from south-southwest to east-southeast, and then east-northeast.

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In the next 72 hours, the fourth typhoon will move slowly with an average speed of about 3 - 5 km/hour and continuously change direction, looping around in the northern Gulf of Tonkin for many days.

Despite its slow movement, the warm sea surface temperatures in the Gulf of Tonkin provide ample moisture, allowing the typhoon to potentially strengthen, though significant intensification is not anticipated. Meanwhile, the storm's circulation is already bringing heavy rain to northern Vietnam. Areas like Quang Ninh and Hai Phong could see 250-350 mm of rain, with some locations exceeding 600 mm. Hanoi is forecast to receive 100-200 mm, potentially causing localized flooding in low-lying areas. Residents should also be aware of the risk of strong winds, which could damage trees and billboards.

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The sea surface temperature in the northern Gulf of Tonkin, where the fourth typhoon is operating, is relatively high, the humidity provided for the typhoon's activity is still relatively large, and the typhoon is moving slowly. The fourth typhoon still has the potential to strengthen, but the degree of strengthening is not much.