CaliToday (04/11/2025): Vietnam is bracing for a direct hit from one of the most powerful storms of the year, as Typhoon Kalmaegi (Storm No. 13) rapidly intensifies on a direct path toward the country's central coast. The government has issued an emergency dispatch, mobilizing military units and ordering mass evacuations as the storm threatens to bring catastrophic winds and a "deluge" of rain.
As of this afternoon (November 4), Kalmaegi's eye was still over the Philippines, lashing the archipelago with sustained winds of Level 13 (134-149 km/h) and violent gusts up to Level 16.
The storm is moving with alarming speed, tracking westward at approximately 25 km/h. It is forecast to enter the South China Sea (known in Vietnam as the East Sea) by early morning, November 5, where it will encounter open, warm waters, allowing it to undergo rapid intensification.
Forecast: Peak Intensity at Level 17
Meteorologists are warning that Kalmaegi will reach its most dangerous phase on November 6, while still over the open sea.
It is projected to peak as a Super Typhoon with sustained winds reaching Level 14 (approx. 166 km/h), but its gusts are forecast to hit Level 16-17. This is equivalent to a high-end Category 3 or Category 4 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson scale, capable of causing widespread, devastating damage.
At its peak, the storm's eye is expected to be approximately 630 km off the coast of Vietnam's Gia Lai province.
Direct Hit Expected: Devastating Impacts
Landfall and the first direct impacts are expected to begin on the night of November 6, targeting a wide and populous stretch of Vietnam's central coastline from Da Nang to Khanh Hoa.
The predicted impacts are severe:
Destructive Winds: Coastal regions are preparing for a direct assault, with winds of Level 10-12 and gusts up to Level 14-15. The destructive winds are also expected to punch deep inland into the Central Highlands, with regions like Gia Lai and Dak Lak facing winds of Level 8-9 (gusting to 13-14), a highly dangerous event for inland territories.
Catastrophic Rainfall: The storm is forecast to unleash an "exceptionally large" amount of rain. From November 6-7, the region from Da Nang to Dak Lak is expecting 200-400mm (8-16 inches) of rain, with localized totals potentially exceeding a staggering 600mm (24 inches), triggering widespread, severe flash flooding and landslides.
Emergency Response: "Drawing from Painful Lessons"
The Vietnamese government is treating Kalmaegi as an extreme threat.
Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh has issued an emergency dispatch, placing all provinces from Ha Tinh to Khanh Hoa on high alert.
Military mobilization is underway. The inland province of Dak Lak alone has placed 15,000 troops on standby for search, rescue, and relief operations.
Coastal provinces like Khanh Hoa are in a race against time to evacuate coastal communities and secure assets, particularly lucrative lobster farms. Officials stated they are "drawing from the painful, bloody lessons" of Typhoon Damrey in 2017, a similarly powerful storm that struck the same region with devastating consequences.
With less than 48 hours until the storm's expected arrival, Central Vietnam is preparing for a major natural disaster.
CaliToday.Net