Back on 12 October 2007, I said the rainy season was over since the monsoon wind had changed direction for the first time in five months, which brings the end of the rainy season.
Since then, we have had torrential rains virtually every day, and the forecast is for daily thunderstorms and rain past the next week. Here is what the Saigon Times Daily said in this morning's article about th weather:
Meanwhile, southern provinces including HCMC, Dong Nai, Can Tho and Bac Lieu were suffering from torrential rains yesterday with rainfall measured at 100-150 millimeters. Pouring rain will continue in the next several days in the southern region.
Yesterday, HCMC suffered severe flooding due to a three-hour downpour. All streets in the city center were flooded, with quite many streets knee-deep, causing traffic congestion in many hours as many motorcycles and automobiles broke down or could not move ahead. High flooding yesterday also overflowed residential areas.
Bear in mind that normally at this time of year, the rainy weather has shifted to the central provinces, along with typhoons. These provinces have been experiencing record rains and floods, with a great loss of life. So life is not so bad in Ho Chi Minh City where the flooding has been annoying but manageable.
I plan to stay out of the business of calling the seasons here from now on.
