The Central Weather Bureau yesterday issued sea and land warnings for Tropical Storm Mitag, saying that the storm is likely to be upgraded to a typhoon when it comes close to the nation today.
As of 8pm yesterday, Mitag’s center was 710km southeast of Taipei.
It was moving northwest at 22kph, with maximum wind speeds of 101kph, bureau data showed. The radius of the storm had expanded to 150km.
The storm is forecast to move toward the nation’s southeast coast today, bureau Weather Forecast Center specialist Hsieh Ming-chang (謝明昌) said.
Waves off the nation’s eastern and southeastern coasts are likely to become stronger, particularly from this afternoon to tomorrow morning, when the storm would come closer to the nation.
Hsieh said Mitag is likely to be upgraded to a typhoon by the time it starts affecting northern Taiwan, adding that “hotspots” for rainfall from this afternoon to tomorrow morning are in the northern and northeastern regions.
These regions are likely to experience extremely heavy rainfall, which means that accumulated rainfall within 24 hours could reach 200mm.
Residents in low-lying areas might experience flooding due to the combined effects of heavy rainfall and spring tides, the bureau said.
At 10pm last night, the governments in Taipei, New Taipei City, Taoyuan, Keelung and Hsinchu County announced that today would be a typhoon day.
However, as of 9:20pm, the governments in Taichung, Tainan, Kaohsiung and Chiayi City, as well as Changhua, Yunlin, Nantou, Chiayi and Pingtung counties had announced that offices and schools would be open today.
Former Weather Forecast Center director Daniel Wu (吳德榮) said Mitag would move away from Taiwan tomorrow before heading toward South Korea.
Even through the storm’s center appears likely to remain offshore, Wu said that he does not exclude the possibility that it might make landfall.
People should not underestimate the threat the storm poses to the northern and northeastern regions, he said.
From last night to tomorrow morning, Mitag’s circumfluence is expected to bring heavy rain to windward areas, particularly the mountainous areas in the north as well as the nation’s northeast coast, Wu said.
Residents in northern and northeastern regions should be aware of the damage caused by strong winds, he said.
Cloudy skies to showers are forecast for Hualien and Taitung, although residents in Hualien might still experience heavy rainfall, he added.
Meanwhile, heavy rainfall is forecast for the mountainous areas in central Taiwan, he said.
As Mitag is to move away from Taiwan tomorrow afternoon, rainy to cloudy skies are forecast for the northern region, Wu said.
Chances of showers would remain high in the mountainous areas in central and southern Taiwan, as well as in Hualien and Taitung, he said.
DEFENDING DEMOCRACY: Taiwan shares the same values as those that fought in WWII, and nations must unite to halt the expansion of a new authoritarian bloc, Lai said The government yesterday held a commemoration ceremony for Victory in Europe (V-E) Day, joining the rest of the world for the first time to mark the anniversary of the end of World War II in Europe. Taiwan honoring V-E Day signifies “our growing connections with the international community,” President William Lai (賴清德) said at a reception in Taipei on the 80th anniversary of V-E Day. One of the major lessons of World War II is that “authoritarianism and aggression lead only to slaughter, tragedy and greater inequality,” Lai said. Even more importantly, the war also taught people that “those who cherish peace cannot
STEADFAST FRIEND: The bills encourage increased Taiwan-US engagement and address China’s distortion of UN Resolution 2758 to isolate Taiwan internationally The Presidential Office yesterday thanked the US House of Representatives for unanimously passing two Taiwan-related bills highlighting its solid support for Taiwan’s democracy and global participation, and for deepening bilateral relations. One of the bills, the Taiwan Assurance Implementation Act, requires the US Department of State to periodically review its guidelines for engagement with Taiwan, and report to the US Congress on the guidelines and plans to lift self-imposed limitations on US-Taiwan engagement. The other bill is the Taiwan International Solidarity Act, which clarifies that UN Resolution 2758 does not address the issue of the representation of Taiwan or its people in
US Indo-Pacific Commander Admiral Samuel Paparo on Friday expressed concern over the rate at which China is diversifying its military exercises, the Financial Times (FT) reported on Saturday. “The rates of change on the depth and breadth of their exercises is the one non-linear effect that I’ve seen in the last year that wakes me up at night or keeps me up at night,” Paparo was quoted by FT as saying while attending the annual Sedona Forum at the McCain Institute in Arizona. Paparo also expressed concern over the speed with which China was expanding its military. While the US
‘FALLACY’: Xi’s assertions that Taiwan was given to the PRC after WWII confused right and wrong, and were contrary to the facts, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said The Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday called Chinese President Xi Jinping’s (習近平) claim that China historically has sovereignty over Taiwan “deceptive” and “contrary to the facts.” In an article published on Wednesday in the Russian state-run Rossiyskaya Gazeta, Xi said that this year not only marks 80 years since the end of World War II and the founding of the UN, but also “Taiwan’s restoration to China.” “A series of instruments with legal effect under international law, including the Cairo Declaration and the Potsdam Declaration have affirmed China’s sovereignty over Taiwan,” Xi wrote. “The historical and legal fact” of these documents, as well
RSS