The Central Weather Bureau yesterday said that the nation would have fewer than average typhoons this year and summer temperatures would be higher than normal.
"There's a normal cycle that dictates the number of typhoons in the area, and it seems that we happen to be at the low point of the cycle," Daniel Wu (
"While the average number of typhoons in Taiwan each year is 4.5, our forecasts show that we're likely to have only three or four [this year]," Wu said.
Although there will likely be fewer typhoons, Wu called on the public to "be well prepared when a typhoon hits ... as approximately 80 to 85 percent of weather-related disasters in the country occur during typhoons."
Wu also warned of hotter summer days ahead.
"Since 1998, we've observed a trend of rising summer temperatures, and we expect such a phenomenon to continue," Wu said.
He said the CWB defines a "hot day" as any day when the temperature rises above 35?C.
"On average, we have 8.3 hot days each year; however, our forecasts show that there will be more hot days this year," Wu said.
Wu attributed the rising summer temperatures to global warming and over-urbanization.
He also announced that the bureau will launch a location-oriented typhoon forecast system this year.
"We'll forecast which cities will be within a 120km radius of a typhoon during the next six hours," Wu said, comparing it to the precipitation forecast.
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