Vietnam recorded around 160 temperature records in October, the National Center for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting reported. Across the country, the average temperature for the month was 1 to 2 degrees above long-term norms, and 2 to 3 degrees above them in the northern provinces.
From 28 September to 2 October, the north of the country endured intense heat, with temperatures of 35 to 37 °C and in places higher. According to meteorologists, this was the first such heat wave to cover the entire region in October since 1991. Over these days, many stations recorded daytime maximums exceeding historical values. On 3 October, in Yên Thấu district of Sơn La province, the temperature reached 38.3 °C, breaking the previous record of 37.5 °C. A day earlier, in Mường Thé district of Lai Châu province, it was 38 °C, higher than the 1991 record of 37.2 °C.
In Hanoi, the weather station in the Láng district registered 37.1 °C on 2 October. Elsewhere, records were exceeded by even wider margins: in Mục Ngai district the temperature rose to 34.2 °C, 2.9 degrees above the previous maximum, and in Hồng Gai (Hai Phong) to 37.2 °C, 2.4 degrees higher.
Besides daytime maximums, monthly average temperatures also broke records. At 98 weather stations, the average reached or exceeded historical values. The largest increase over previous records was noted in Bắc Mê and Đông Văn districts of Tuyên Quang province, at 1.6 degrees.
Specialists attribute the abnormally warm weather to a strong phase of El Niño, a natural phenomenon in which the surface temperature of the equatorial Pacific Ocean rises. In mid-October, it was roughly 2.4 degrees above normal. Combined with features of atmospheric pressure in the region, this led to reduced cloud cover and increased solar radiation. Cold air masses were not strong enough to bring temperatures down consistently. Global warming also increases the likelihood of such weather events.
Forecasts indicate that in November the average temperature across Vietnam will also be 1 to 2 degrees above long-term norms.
Letters