Tropical storm to make landfall in central Vietnam late Thursday

HANOI: A tropical storm is forecast to make landfall in central Vietnam late on Thursday, bringing torrential rains that could trigger dangerous floods, the weather agency said, shortly after northern regions were hit by the powerful Typhoon Yagi.

Storm No.4, as it is known in Vietnam, is forecast to hit the coast from Quang Tri to Quang Nam province in the evening with wind gusts of up to 102 kph (63 mph), the agency said in a report.

Due to the possible impact of the storm, Dong Hoi airport in the north central coast will be shut from 1500 to 2200 local time (0800 to 1500 GMT) on Thursday, Vietnam's civil aviation authority (CAAV) said.

The Southeast Asian country has been reeling from the impacts of Typhoon Yagi, the strongest storm to hit Asia this year, which made landfall in northern Vietnam nearly two weeks ago. The typhoon killed more than 290 people and caused property damages of around $1.6 billion.

Storm No.4 will trigger rains of between 100 to 300 millimetres (4 to 12 inches) from Thursday to Friday in central Vietnam, including in the tourism destination of Danang, the agency said.

Rains will also hit the Central Highlands, home to Vietnam's largest coffee growing area, it said.