The Central Weather Bureau issued a land warning for Tropical Storm Fung-Wong (鳳凰) at 8:30pm yesterday, cautioning against strong winds and big waves in eastern, southern and southwestern Taiwan.
The bureau also issued a torrential rain warning for southeastern Taiwan and the Hengchun Peninsula (恆春半島).
As of 8pm yesterday, Fung-Wong was centered 370km south of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost tip, moving northwest at 15kph, the bureau said.
Earlier yesterday, at 8:30am, the bureau issued a sea warning, adding that it is likely that the storm’s center would pass over waters east of Taiwan as it heads northeast toward Japan, bringing rainfall and winds to all parts of Taiwan from today.
The bureau warned of stormy seas along the coast.
Boats operating in the Bashi Channel between Taiwan and the Philippines should also be on alert, it said.
The 16th storm of this year’s Pacific typhoon season, Fung-Wong means “phoenix” in Cantonese.
Meanwhile, according to the bureau, temperatures in Hsinchu in northern Taiwan soared to 38.8°C yesterday, the highest level recorded anywhere in the nation this year.
The high was recorded at 12:20pm, the bureau said, attributing the heat to dry, warm winds caused by Fung-Wong.
The second-highest temperature this year was recorded in Taitung County’s Dawu Township (大武) on July 9, when the mercury reached 38.3°C.
Beijing’s continued provocations in the Taiwan Strait reveal its intention to unilaterally change the “status quo” in the area, the US Department of State said on Saturday, calling for a peaceful resolution to cross-strait issues. The Coast Guard Administration (CGA) reported that four China Coast Guard patrol vessels entered restricted and prohibited waters near Kinmen County on Friday and again on Saturday. A State Department spokesperson said that Washington was aware of the incidents, and urged all parties to exercise restraint and refrain from unilaterally changing the “status quo.” “Maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait is in line with our [the
EXTENDED RANGE: Hsiung Sheng missiles, 100 of which might be deployed by the end of the year, could reach Chinese command posts and airport runways, a source said A NT$16.9 billion (US$534.93 million) project to upgrade the military’s missile defense systems would be completed this year, allowing the deployment of at least 100 long-range Hsiung Sheng missiles and providing more deterrence against China, military sources said on Saturday. Hsiung Sheng missiles are an extended-range version of the Hsiung Feng IIE (HF-2E) surface-to-surface cruise missile, and are believed to have a range of up to 1,200km, which would allow them to hit targets well inside China. They went into mass production in 2022, the sources said. The project is part of a special budget for the Ministry of National Defense aimed at
READY TO WORK: Taiwan is eager to cooperate and is hopeful that like-minded states will continue to advocate for its inclusion in regional organizations, Lai said Maintaining the “status quo” in the Taiwan Strait, and peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region must be a top priority, president-elect William Lai (賴清德) said yesterday after meeting with a delegation of US academics. Leaders of the G7, US President Joe Biden and other international heads of state have voiced concerns about the situation in the Strait, as stability in the region is necessary for a safe, peaceful and prosperous world, Lai said. The vice president, who is to be inaugurated in May, welcomed the delegation and thanked them for their support for Taiwan and issues concerning the Strait. The international community
COOPERATION: Two crewmembers from a Chinese fishing boat that sank off Kinmen were rescued, two were found dead and another two were still missing at press time The Coast Guard Administration (CGA) was yesterday working with Chinese rescuers to find two missing crewmembers from a Chinese fishing boat that sank southwest of Kinmen County yesterday, killing two crew. The joint operation managed to rescue two of the boat’s six crewmembers, but two were already dead when they were pulled from the water, the agency said in a statement. Rescuers are still searching for two others from the Min Long Yu 61222, a boat registered in China’s Fujian Province that capsized and sank 1.03 nautical miles (1.9km) southwest of Dongding Island (東碇), it added. CGA Director-General Chou Mei-wu (周美伍) told a