Heat Wave in Hanoi

Hanoi’s average temperature on June 16, 34.6°C, was the highest recorded on that date since 1961. A government meteorologist expects that rains will break the heat wave at last on Sunday, June 20.

VietNamNet Bridge - Hanoi’s average temperature on June 16, 34.6°C, was the highest recorded on that date since 1961. A government meteorologist expects that rains will break the heat wave at last on Sunday, June 20.

Nguyen Huu Hai, chief of the National Weather Center’s Short-term Weather Forecast Department, said that on Wednesday, June 16, the highest temperature recorded at Hanoi’s Lang station was 39.6°C, and the lowest temperature at night was 30.4°C.  Though the suffocating heat was the highest average for June 16 since 1961, the peak fell short of the 40.4°C recorded on June 16, 1983.

Hai said it’s been above 35°C throughout Vietnam’s northern and north central regions every day since June 13.  Thanh Hoa and Nghe An provinces suffer the most from the prolonged heat wave, regularly recording temperatures of 40° or even 41°C at noon.

Hai blamed ‘urban effects,’ low humidity and windlessness for the harsh weather. He said if wind were stronger, the temperature would fall at night because wind would blow away the heat accumulating on the ground. The average wind speed on June 16 and 17 was only two meters per second, walking speed.

Low humidity caused the heat to seem hotter. At noon June 17, humidity was measured at 46 percent at the Lang station. The air became dry and hot like in a burning pan.

Moreover, the population density in Hanoi has increased in recent years.  There are many high-rise buildings in the city and a high density of vehicles, but the number is trees are modest, causing “urban effects.”

Hai said this heat wave may end on Sunday, June 20, followed by rain.  From now to July there will be two or three more heat waves but these are unlikely to exceed the intensity of the current one.

Normally, Vietnam has 1-2 storms by mid-June but this year it has not had any storm. Hai said that the stormy season comes late this year. Around 6-7 storms will hit Vietnam, mainly in the central and southern regions.