Around late morning or early afternoon on June 11, the tropical depression in the East Sea is likely to intensify into the first tropical storm of the year. Its broad cloud circulation may extend as far as the waters off central Vietnam.

Earlier today (June 10), Nguyen Van Huong, Head of the Weather Forecasting Department at the National Center for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting, provided the latest updates on the potential development of tropical storm No. 1, along with its projected path and circulation impact.

According to Mr. Huong, this morning a low-pressure system in the eastern part of the central East Sea intensified into a tropical depression. Since the beginning of 2025, this is the second tropical depression to form in the East Sea. It is forecast that within the next 24 hours, this system could strengthen into a tropical storm.

“Our assessment suggests that by late morning or afternoon, or by evening at the latest on June 11, the tropical depression will become a storm. This will be the first named storm in the East Sea and also the first to form in the northwestern Pacific region this year,” Mr. Huong reported.

He also noted that one characteristic of this tropical depression and its subsequent development into a storm is the extensive cloud circulation, covering nearly all parts of the northern, central, and even southern East Sea. Notably, the waters off central Vietnam from Quang Tri to Quang Ngai will be significantly affected by the circulation of this system.

Due to this wide-reaching circulation, the northern, central, and southern areas of the East Sea, including the Hoang Sa (Paracel Islands) and Truong Sa (Spratly Islands), will experience strong winds at levels 6-7 on the Beaufort scale, increasing later to levels 8-9. As the storm intensifies, waves in the northern East Sea are expected to reach heights of 4 to 6 meters, while waves off the central coast could range from 2 to 4 meters.

Regarding the storm’s movement, Mr. Huong said that as it moves toward the Hoang Sa archipelago, the tropical depression is expected to strengthen into a storm. It may then shift northward, moving towards the eastern part of Hainan Island (China) - the most likely scenario.

However, he also mentioned the possibility, though less probable, that once the depression becomes a storm and nears Hainan Island, it could change course and move into the Gulf of Tonkin.

Bao Anh