Wutip has become the first typhoon to be upgraded to a stronger typhoon in the month of February since 1911, the Central Weather Bureau (CWB) said yesterday.
The nation’s typhoon season generally lasts from July to September, the bureau said.
Although tropical storms and typhoons have previously formed in winter, they have rarely been upgraded to stronger typhoons, it said.
Photo courtesy of a Shei-Pa National Park volunteer
Wutip was upgraded at 8pm on Saturday, bureau data showed. Its center was 2,440km southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻) as of 2pm yesterday. It was moving northwest at 7kph, with a radius of 227km and maximum wind speeds of 184kph.
Wutip is expected to weaken to a tropical depression by Friday, the bureau said, adding that it would not affect Taiwan directly.
However, people in coastal areas along eastern Taiwan and the Hengchun Peninsula should beware of rogue waves from today until Wednesday, the bureau said.
Although a cold air mass that hovered over the nation over the weekend is expected to begin weakening today, the nation would remain under the influence of a northeast monsoon until tomorrow, the bureau said.
Daytime lows in northern Taiwan today and tomorrow are forecast to be between 14°C and 16°C, while the rest of the nation could see lows of 18°C to 20°C, the bureau said.
Occasional rain is expected in northern and eastern Taiwan today due to clouds from Southern China, the bureau said, adding that isolated rain is expected in mountainous areas in central and southern areas.
Cloudy skies with occasional rain are forecast for the rest of the nation, it said.
The bureau forecast cloudy to sunny skies for most parts of the nation tomorrow, except eastern Taiwan and mountainous areas in northern areas, which would see isolated rain.
The bureau forecast daytime highs of 20°C to 25°C in northern Taiwan, 27°C to 30°C in central and southern Taiwan, and 23°C to 26°C in Hualien and Taitung.
As for 228 Memorial Day on Thursday, the bureau said that the northeast monsoon would again affect the nation, lowering highs to about 20°C and bringing occasional rain to northern and northeastern Taiwan.
The bureau forecast cloudy to sunny skies for the rest of the nation.
However, the bureau said that the northeast monsoon is expected to weaken by Friday morning and daily highs are expected reach 24°C to 26°C in the north, 26°C to 28°C in Hualien and Taitung, and 29°C to 32°C in central and southern Taiwan.
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