A sea warning has been issued for Taiwan as Tropical Storm Guchol approaches and central and southeastern areas can expect significant rainfall today, the Central Weather Bureau said yesterday.
At press time last night, Guchol, which developed into a tropical storm early yesterday, was 130km southwest of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻) and was moving north-northwest at 13kph, the bureau said.
With maximum sustained winds of 65kph, the storm was yesterday moving northwest through the Bashi Channel toward the Taiwan Strait at 9kph, bureau data showed.
The storm is expected to pass close to Taiwan today, bringing heavy rain to southern and southeastern parts of the nation, it said.
Occasional afternoon thundershowers can be expected in the north, the bureau said.
Guchol is expected to decrease in strength, bureau official Lin Po-tung (林柏東) said, adding that the sea alert is expected to be called off in the afternoon and there is a very low chance that a land warning would be issued.
The storm encompasses the Bashi Channel, the Taiwan Strait and the Pratas Islands (Dongsha Islands, 東沙群島), Lin said.
Guchol could be downgraded to a tropical depression, Lin said.
Hualien, Taitung and Pingtung counties, as well as Kaohsiung had short periodic rainfall last night as the fringe of the storm passed by.
Northern regions saw brief thundershowers yesterday afternoon which are expected to continue today, Lin said.
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