The northernmost province of Phongsaly felt the effects of Typhoon Nida as it blasted into China on Tuesday, forcing the cancellation of hundreds of flights in Hong Kong.
An official from the weather forecasting division in Phongsaly, Ms Sengdavone Inyalath, told Vientiane Times that looking up at the skies over China to the north one could see nothing but black clouds as the storm made its way inland from the southeastern coastline.
The passing of Nida also brought heavy rains to Phongsaly. “Torrential rain will start falling at any time because the clouds overhead are quite heavy,” she said.
Weather forecasters warned that the provinces of Phongsaly, Huaphan and Xieng Khuang could be lashed by downpours after Nida brought violent winds and heavy rain to China and Vietnam.
The Vietnam News reported that Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc instructed ministries, agencies and localities to prepare for tropical storm Nida, given the likelihood of it hitting northern Vietnam.
According to the China Daily, dozens of flights, trains and ferries scheduled for Monday and Tuesday were cancelled on Monday as China issued its highest alert for Typhoon Nida, which was heading toward Guangdong province and neighbouring southern areas.
Nida, the fourth typhoon to hit China this year, was moving northwest towards southern and southeastern China. It was forecast to make landfall in the central coastal part of Guangdong on Tuesday morning.
Last week, Tropical Storm Mirinae hit the northern provinces of Vietnam, bringing down hundreds of trees in Hanoi and causing chaos for people travelling to work .
Typhoon Mirinae, which made landfall in northern Vietnam on Wednesday night, left four people dead, eight injured and one missing as of last Friday morning.
Lao provinces bordering Vietnam such as Phongsaly and Huaphan saw only slight effects of Typhoon Mirinae because it did not pass directly over them.
Huaphan provincial authorities reported last Thursday that there was some rain on Wednesday night but no damage was caused by the typhoon.
But strong winds did tear off some sheets of iron roofing and a number of trees had fallen, the authorities added.
Source: Vientiane Times
