The Central Weather Bureau reported yesterday that two tropical storms have formed over the Pacific Ocean in the space of just 18 hours in the last couple of days.
As of 4:30pm yesterday, Tropical Storm Sonamu was located approximately 920km southeast of Naha, Okinawa, and was moving east-northeast at 25kph. At the same time, Tropical Storm Wukong was located 990km east of Naha and was moving northwest at 7kph.
The bureau further reported that winds along the north coast would reach level eight today.
The nation will once again be forced to confront two tropical storms at the same time, following the passage of tropical storms Saomai and Bopha last week.
The bureau said yesterday that the centers of the latest two storms are approximately 1,300km apart. The Fujiwara effect, a type of interaction between two storms that causes them to orbit around each other, is unlikely to happen at this time, it said.
The bureau cautioned, however, that Wukong could alter its path and move southward or westward, adding that it was monitoring the situation closely.
Sonamu was likely to move north and therefore posed less of a threat, the bureau said, adding that the situation would become clearer by Friday.
Mostly sunny skies are predicted throughout the country today, including Penghu, Kinmen and Matsu.
However, afternoon showers are a possibility in mountainous areas, weather officials said.
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