Tropical Storm Talim is likely to be the first storm to hit Taiwan this year and is expected to bring heavy rainfall across the nation, the Central Weather Bureau said yesterday.
The bureau said it would most likely issue a sea alert for the storm early this morning, while a land alert would be issued later in the day.
As of press time, the bureau had yet to issue a sea alert for Talim.
Graphic: TT
Information from the bureau showed that Talim, meaning “sharp” in Filipino, was formed at 2am yesterday.
By 5pm, the center of Talim was about 480km off the southwest coast of the Dongsha Islands (東沙群島). It was moving northeastward at 17kph, with a radius of 120km.
Forecaster Hsieh Min-ken (謝旻耕) said the bureau estimated the accumulated rainfall from today until Thursday could exceed 1,500mm in the mountainous areas of central and southern Taiwan because of the combined effect of Talim and the southwest monsoon.
The entire nation must be prepared to brave torrential rain, he said, adding that residents in central and southern Taiwan in particular must be ready to cope with the threat of extremely torrential rain.
Those living on the west coast need to be prepared for flooding caused by the rain and spring tide, the bureau said.
The bureau’s projected path of Talim showed it would cruise across the Taiwan Strait and be close to central Taiwan by tomorrow, when the wind and rain are expected to be the strongest.
The storm is then expected to move along the nation’s west coast before it moves away from Taiwan by Thursday.
While the rain is expected to be at its heaviest tomorrow and Thursday, the bureau forecast that the weather system around Taiwan would remain unstable until Friday.
Some of the meteorologists said Talim’s circumfluence resembled that of a tropical depression system that had caused severe flooding in August 1958. They said it was rare that a tropical storm or a typhoon would come from the Taiwan Strait, adding that the damage could be worse if it makes landfall.
In view of the disasters caused by last week’s torrential rain, the Directorate-General of Highways said it would start closing sections of several highways and county highways leading to scenic spots this afternoon, including Highways No. 7, 8, 9, 14, 18, 20 and 21.
Meanwhile, the Central Emergency Operation Center was activated at 3:30pm yesterday, half an hour earlier than scheduled, Cabinet officials said.
The relevant ministries have finalized their preparations for relief assistance, the Cabinet said in a statement, as it urged people to take early precautions against the storm and avoid traveling in mountainous areas.
Additional reporting by CNA
The Ministry of the Interior (MOI) is to tighten rules for candidates running for public office, requiring them to declare that they do not hold a Chinese household registration or passport, and that they possess no other foreign citizenship. The requirement was set out in a draft amendment to the Enforcement Rules of the Public Officials Election and Recall Act (公職人員選舉罷免法 ) released by the ministry on Thursday. Under the proposal, candidates would need to make the declaration when submitting their registration forms, which would be published in the official election bulletin. The move follows the removal of several elected officials who were
The Republic of China (ROC) is celebrating its 114th Double Ten National Day today, featuring military parades and a variety of performances and speeches in front of the Presidential Office in Taipei. The Taiwan Taiko Association opened the celebrations with a 100-drummer performance, including young percussionists. As per tradition, an air force Mirage 2000 fighter jet flew over the Presidential Office as a part of the performance. The Honor Guards of the ROC and its marching band also heralded in a military parade. Students from Taichung's Shin Min High School then followed with a colorful performance using floral imagery to represent Taiwan's alternate name
FOUR DESIGNATED AREAS: Notices were issued for live-fire exercises in waters south and northwest of Penghu, northeast of Keelung and west of Kaohsiung, they said The military is planning three major annual exercises across the army, navy and air force this month, with the navy’s “Hai Chiang” (海強, “Sea Strong”) drills running from today through Thursday, the Ministry of National Defense said yesterday. The Hai Chiang exercise, which is to take place in waters surrounding Taiwan, would feature P-3C Orion maritime patrol aircraft and S-70C anti-submarine helicopters, the ministry said, adding that the drills aim to bolster the nation’s offshore defensive capabilities. China has intensified military and psychological pressure against Taiwan, repeatedly sending warplanes and vessels into areas near the nation’s air defense identification zone and across
A Chinese takeover of Taiwan would severely threaten the national security of the US, Japan, the Philippines and other nations, while global economic losses could reach US$10 trillion, National Security Council Deputy Secretary-General Lin Fei-fan (林飛帆) wrote in an article published yesterday in Foreign Affairs. “The future of Taiwan is not merely a regional concern; it is a test of whether the international order can withstand the pressure of authoritarian expansionism,” Lin wrote in the article titled “Taiwan’s Plan for Peace Through Strength — How Investments in Resilience Can Deter Beijing.” Chinese President Xi Jinping’s (習近平) intent to take Taiwan by force
RSS