Heat to bake northern, central Vietnam; rain to saturate south this week A female driver armed with sunglasses, mask, hat, scarf and gloves to protect her skin. Tuoi Tre Vietnam’s northern and central regions will sizzle under scorching temperatures, while rain is expected to dampen the south this week. In the first few days of the week, provinces in the northern region will experience an extreme heat wave, Le Thi Xuan Lan, a Ho Chi Minh City-based weather pundit has forecast. But the heat’s intensity will lessen by midweek when rain squalls are expected, bringing downpours and high winds in mountainous areas, she said. The central region will suffer most, with highs between 36 and 39 degrees Celsius anticipated, brining no rain with it over the period, the climate specialist said. The region can also expect to be exposed to the strongest ultraviolet intensity until 4:00 pm every day this week. Thunderstorms and cyclones may occur in some places of the central region by midweek, Lan added. Although westerly winds should weaken, areas in the south and Central Highlands will be drenched by rainfall in the evening and at night, followed by morning hazes, with torrential rains and heavy squalls predicted in coastal areas. Thanks to the rainy spells, temperatures in the south area should be quite pleasant with highs between 32 and 35 degrees Celsius, and lows between 23 and 26 degrees, with the weather expert further anticipating an 80-90 percent chance of moisture over the period. TUOI TRE NEWS