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Tropical Storm Linfa approaches

Taipei 101 disappears in the mist in this picture taken yesterday. The Central Weather Bureau last night issued a sea warning for Tropical Storm Linfa. PHOTO: CNA

The Central Weather Bureau issued a sea alert for Tropical Storm Linfa at 8:30pm as it approached Bashi Channel and southern Taiwan, the bureau said yesterday.

At 8pm yesterday, the storm’s center was 470km southwest of ­Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻).

Statistics from the bureau showed the storm was moving northeast at a speed of 14kph. The maximum wind speed near the center was 83kph, which is equivalent to a strong gale or level 9 on the Beaufort scale. The radius of the storm was 120km.

“Even though the storm was moving north with stronger force yesterday afternoon, we still cannot be sure if it’s done hanging around in one place,” said Chen Yi-liang (陳怡良), a section chief at the bureau’s forecast center.

“We will continue to monitor the movement of the storm,” he said.

Chen said the sea alert applies to Bashi Channel, the southern part of the Taiwan Strait and Dongsha Island (東沙島).

CWB said they would issue a land warning for Penghu as early as today if the storm stayed on its present course.

The projected path of Tropical Storm Linfa is showed in a graphic from the Central Weather Bureau’s Web site yesterday. PHOTO: CNA

Whether the storm would make landfall in Taiwan needed further observation, Chen said.

Because of the storm’s circumfluence, chances of showers or thundershowers across the nation are high, including in Penghu and Kinmen, the bureau said. Cloudy skies are forecast in Matsu.

Sea vessels operating off the southwestern coast of Taiwan proper, including the Hengchun Peninsula (恆春半島) and Hsiaoliouchiu (小琉球), were cautioned to beware of strong waves.

Linfa is the third tropical storm to form near Taiwan this year. It was named by weather bureau officials in Macau and means “lotus” in Cantonese.

In related news, the Council of Labor Affairs (CLA) said yesterday that workers are now eligible for paid “typhoon breaks” whenever local governments declare schools and government office closed.

In the event of a typhoon, flood or strong earthquake, office and factory workers may take the day off with pay if local governments close schools and government offices, the CLA said.

If employees are asked to work on “typhoon days,” they should be paid overtime and given transportation and other allowances in addition to their daily wages, CLA officials said. However, workers should be allowed to stay at home on government declared typhoon days, as they could be injured while traveling to and from work, the officials added.

ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY CNA
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