A tropical depression is expected to develop into a tropical storm this morning and could start affecting the weather in Taiwan next week, the Central Weather Bureau (CWB) said yesterday.
The tropical depression is off the east coast of the Philippines and was moving northwesterly at a slow pace, the bureau said. It had the potential to become a tropical storm either late last night or early this morning.
Bureau forecaster Wu Yi-fan (吳依帆) said that the storm would be named Sarika — a songbird — once it forms.
Wu said the latest data showed that the soon-to-form storm is to sweep across the Philippines’ Luzon Island and is unlikely to head toward Taiwan, but the bureau requires further observations to project its path.
Wu said that rain in the northern and northeastern regions in the past two days was mainly caused by the combined influence of the northeast wind and southeast wind, with precipitation forecast to ease by yesterday afternoon.
The northeast wind and the circumfluence of the new storm could combine and affect the nation, Wu said, adding that there are several conditions to be met for the scenario to arise.
“We have yet to detect any signal that the high-pressure system is going south while the storm is heading toward Luzon,” Wu said.
“Once the typhoon enters the South China Sea, there is a chance that the high-pressure system could move south and subsequently bring in the northeast wind that is the key to generating the combined effect,” Wu said.
“Whether the combined effect could arise depends on the location of the system and when the northeast wind begins,” the forecaster said.
The northeast wind and the rain has brought low temperatures of between 23oC and 24oC, Wu said.
The nation could be affected by the northeast monsoon, causing temperatures to fall to 19oC or below, Wu said.
The northeast wind and the circumfluence of the storm could affect the nation’s weather on Monday and Tuesday, the bureau said.
People on the east coast should be alert to possible damage from “heavy” to “extremely heavy” rainfall, it said. Showers are forecast for northern and southern regions.
The storm is forecast to move away from Taiwan on Wednesday, although chances of regional showers would remain high in the north and the east, the bureau said.
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