By Dan DePodwin, Meteorologist
August 2,2013; 7:11AM,EDT
Torrential rainfall and gusty winds lashed China's Hainan province as Tropical Storm Jebi made landfall in the northeastern part of the province Friday evening local time.
The storm passed near the capital, and most populous city, Haikou as it moved westward and toward the Gulf of Tonkin.
While not a typhoon, the storm will bring flooding rainfall and strong winds as it makes a second landfall in northeastern Vietnam on Saturday. The strongest winds will be contained to coastal locations where gusts can top 95 km/h (60 mph).
Inland, drenching rainfall can produce flooding in northern Vietnam. According to AccuWeather.com meteorologist Eric Wanenchak, "75 to 125 mm (3 to 5 inches) of rain can fall in Hanoi, the capital of Vietnam."
Higher amounts, closer to 250 mm (10 inches), can cause flooding in the northern, more mountainous region of the country.
In addition to flooding, the soaking rain will lead to a mudslide threat in the more rugged terrain of northern Vietnam.
While Jebi will begin to lose its punch as it meanders farther into Vietnam, heavy rain in excess of 75mm (3 inches) can span all the way into Myanmar which has been hit hard recently with flash flooding from monsoon storms. This region is frequently slammed by floods each year.
In the wake of Jebi, the western Pacific is expected to remain active. There is the potential for two more systems to organize and move toward Southeast Asia next week. Wanenchak noted, "the same region being hit by Jebi may once again feel the impacts of a tropical system four or five days from now."
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