The Central Weather Bureau (CWB) could issue a sea alert this morning for Tropical Storm Fengshen after it swept through the Philippines over the weekend.
As of 6pm, the center of Fengshen was located 100km northwest of Manila. It was moving northwesterly at a speed of 14kph.
The storm’s maximum wind speed reached 110kph, with gusts topping 140kph. The radius of the storm was measured at 200km.
After forming on Friday and developing into a typhoon, Fengshen swept through central parts of the Philippines on Saturday.
The system was downgraded to a tropical storm yesterday afternoon.
Whether the storm would affect Taiwan depends on its intensity after it enters the South China Sea, the bureau said.
“The next 24 hours will be crucial for the weather bureau as it monitors the storm and decides what to do,” said Wu Teh-jung (吳德榮), director of the bureau’s Weather Forecast Center.
“If it [the storm] quickly turns into a tropical low air pressure system after entering the South China Sea, there will be no need to issue an alert,” bureau forecaster Tang Shuen-lan (湯舜然) said.
“However, if the storm remains strong after it passes through the South China Sea and enters the Taiwan Strait, we will possibly issue a sea alert early tomorrow morning,” he said yesterday.
The weather nationwide was sunny yesterday, with temperatures reaching a maximum of 36.8˚C.
High temperatures are expected in northern, central and southern areas today, with rain forecast tomorrow as the storm approaches the west coast.
ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY CNA
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