Storm No. 3 (Wipha) officially weakened into a tropical depression over land in Ninh Binh and Thanh Hoa provinces.

Vietnam braced for Typhoon Wipha on Monday as coastal provinces were placed on emergency alert and airlines canceled flights ahead of the storm’s expected landfall early Tuesday.

Storm Wipha made landfall along the coastline between Hung Yen and Ninh Binh Provinces at 10 a.m. Tuesday, packing 64–102 kph winds, before moving southwest and weakening.

The centre said that the storm’s centre was located at approximately 20.1 degrees North latitude and 105.6–105.7 degrees East longitude, with wind speeds reaching level 6–7 (50–61km/h) and gusts up to level 9.

As of the afternoon of July 21, Typhoon Wipha (Storm No. 3) has intensified to Category 10, with gusts reaching Category 12. The storm’s center was located approximately 120km from Quang Ninh, 260km from Hai Phong, 280km from Hung Yen, and 310km from Ninh Binh. The Bach Long Vi special zone reported gusts at Category 9.

Storm No. 3, internationally known as Typhoon Wipha, passed north of China’s Leizhou Peninsula on the morning of July 21 and entered the northern Gulf of Tonkin, posing a growing threat to Vietnam’s northern and north-central coastal regions,