The Central Weather Bureau (CWB) said yesterday that Super Typhoon Lupit has been strengthening and could bring torrential rain to Yilan County on Thursday and Friday.
The super typhoon was centered 1,450km east-northeast of Manila as of 8am yesterday, moving in a west-northwesterly direction at 16kph, the bureau said, adding that the storm was gaining strength.
Due to the combined effect of the typhoon and the seasonal northeasterly monsoon, rainfall will be seen in northern and eastern regions of Taiwan from tomorrow afternoon, the bureau’s meteorologists said.
While the super typhoon might not hit Taiwan directly, torrential rain — 350mm of precipitation in 24 hours — is likely to affect Yilan County and mountainous northern areas on Thursday and Friday, the forecasters said.
In related news, the retirement of Forecast Center director Daniel Wu (吳德榮) drew a mixed reaction from Transportation Committee lawmakers yesterday.
Wu applied for early retirement at the end of August after the bureau was strongly criticized for underestimating the levels of rain brought by Typhoon Morakot.
His retirement became the subject of debate last week after the Control Yuan censured the bureau for failing to issue strong and convincing heavy rain alerts and informing the public in plain language about the consequences of heavy rain. Control Yuan Member Yu Teng-fang (余騰芳) said Wu’s retirement simply showed “the arrogance of professionals.”
Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Yeh Yi-jin (葉宜津), however, said the Control Yuan members were the arrogant ones because of the power they wield. The bureau could find itself censured again if President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) needed a scapegoat because of damage caused by future typhoons, Yeh said.
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Lee Hung-chun (李鴻鈞) said that the devastation caused by Morakot exposed an issue that could not be fixed soley by the CWB.
“I think it’s unfair to put all the blame on the Central Weather Bureau,” Lee said. “Solving the fundamental problems would involve the reorganization of government agencies.”
Other KMT legislators, including Tsai Chin-lung (蔡景隆) and Yang Li-huan (楊麗環), said that the bureau needs a bigger budget to fund participation in the World Meteorological Organization and other scientific projects.
Bureau Director General Shin Tzay-chyn (辛在勤) said increasing the center’s budget would not necessarily boost the precision of forecasts.
The nation needs to have long-term and continual investment in resources that improve the accuracy of forecasts, he said.
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