Rains cool northern Vietnam

The north just experienced a week of elevated temperatures due to a low-pressure area from the west and the Foehn wind effect. May 31 and June 1 were the hottest days of the period, with temperatures recorded at a weather station in Son La reaching 43.8 degrees Celsius, the highest temperature of the last month.

On Saturday, temperatures dropped 1-3 degrees from their searing peaks.

The National Center for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting said a mass of cold air arrived from the east Saturday night, causing rains in mountainous and midland areas, with rain levels going up to 80 mm. The heat will therefore gradually retreat from the plains and then disappear starting Monday.

U.S. weather forecast service AccuWeather said Hanoi would see temperatures dropping to 26-35 degrees on Sunday. Temperatures in the capital would hover around 25-34 degrees in the days after, according to the service.

However, the heat will likely return at the end of next week, raising temperatures to 36 degrees at the highest, according to predictions.

High-altitude areas like the Lao Cai Province resort town of Sa Pa would see temperatures of around 17-25 degrees next week.

Central Vietnam will experience high heat through the end of Sunday before anything dissipates. Rains will begin cooling the area Monday, ending the region's hottest period of the year so far.

Southern Vietnam and the Central Highlands regions would see rains mainly at dusk due to the effects of monsoon winds.

Vietnam went through five widespread hot periods in May, each one lasting up to a week. Average temperatures in June are expected to be 0.5-1 degree higher than in previous years, and average rain levels in northern and central Vietnam are expected to be 10-20% lower than in previous years.