Tropical Storm Kirogi hits Vietnam

Tropical Storm Kirogi has hit Vietnam bringing torrential rain.

The storm weakened before making landfall, meaning the sustained winds were only 55 kilometres per hour when it hit the coast.

However, the rain was still very heavy, with 182 millimetres of rain reported in Quy Nhon, and 142mm in the historic city of Hue.

This is a large amount of rain and it falls at what is always a wet time of year.

Hue, for example, expects approximately 600mm of rain in November. This is comparable to the amount of rain that London expects in an entire year.

The excessive amount of rain has prompted the flood prevention department of Vietnam to issue a number of flood warnings.

It has also caused major problems for the salt farms in the southern province of Ninh Thuane.

“Our village lives on salt farming. Such rainstorm affects our production. I hope that the rainstorm would go away soon,” said Nguyen Thanh Trung, a local resident.

The generous November rainfall of the region is often delivered in the form of tropical storms, with approximately 10 storms hitting Vietnam every year.

The storms can form at any time during the year, but they are most common between May and November.

Kirogi is the sixth named storm to make a direct impact on the country this year, but there have also been a number of other systems which have brought torrential rain. These have either been too weak to be given a name, or have only grazed the country.

Less than one month ago, Typhoon Damrey killed at least 19 people as it lashed the country with torrential rain and winds of 130 km/h.

Currently, there are no more tropical storms on the horizon, so the region is hoping for a chance to dry out.