A tropical depression east of the Philippines developed into a tropical storm named Gaemi at 2pm yesterday, and was moving toward eastern Taiwan, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said.
Gaemi could begin to affect Taiwan proper on Tuesday, lasting until Friday, and could develop into a moderate typhoon on Wednesday or Thursday, it said.
A sea warning for Gaemi could be issued as early as Tuesday morning, it added.
Gaemi, the third tropical storm in the Pacific Ocean this typhoon season, is projected to begin moving northwest today, and be closest to Taiwan on Wednesday or Thursday, the agency said.
Today, there would likely be high temperatures in the morning with thundershowers in the afternoon, CWA weather anchor Tseng Chao-cheng (曾昭誠) said.
Taipei, New Taipei City, Taoyuan, and parts of central and southern Taiwan could expect temperatures as high as 37°C, he said.
Showers or thundershowers are likely in the central and southern regions, mountainous regions throughout the country, Taitung County and around the Hengchun Peninsula, Tseng said.
Another tropical depression named TD04 has formed west of the Philippines. It is expected to move toward the South China Sea and China’s Guangdong Province, so it is less likely to affect Taiwan.
Commenting on the possibility of Taiwan being affected by two typhoons, CWA weather anchor Lin Ting-yi (林定宜) said that it would depend on how close Tropical Storm Gaemi is to TD04 or if other tropical depressions develop within the monsoon trough.
The Taipei City Government’s Natural Disaster Prevention Office said the capital would be on high alert until Wednesday.
It is very likely that a sea alert would be issued for Gaemi, the office said.
Taipei’s Public Works Department, Department of Environmental Protection, Department of Urban Development and Department of Labor have all stepped up measures to prepare for a possible typhoon, the office said, urging Taipei residents to prepare over the weekend.
The Taipei City Government said that the tides could exacerbate Gaemi’s effects.
The Hydraulic Engineering Office and the Parking Management and Development Office would be monitoring water levels for areas close to rivers and nearby parking lots, the city government said, adding that vehicle owners should also be careful, as there could be flooding from Tuesday.
Additional reporting by Kan Meng-lin
FALSE DOCUMENTS? Actor William Liao said he was ‘voluntarily cooperating’ with police after a suspect was accused of helping to produce false medical certificates Police yesterday questioned at least six entertainers amid allegations of evasion of compulsory military service, with Lee Chuan (李銓), a member of boy band Choc7 (超克7), and actor Daniel Chen (陳大天) among those summoned. The New Taipei City District Prosecutors’ Office in January launched an investigation into a group that was allegedly helping men dodge compulsory military service using falsified medical documents. Actor Darren Wang (王大陸) has been accused of being one of the group’s clients. As the investigation expanded, investigators at New Taipei City’s Yonghe Precinct said that other entertainers commissioned the group to obtain false documents. The main suspect, a man surnamed
DEMOGRAPHICS: Robotics is the most promising answer to looming labor woes, the long-term care system and national contingency response, an official said Taiwan is to launch a five-year plan to boost the robotics industry in a bid to address labor shortages stemming from a declining and aging population, the Executive Yuan said yesterday. The government approved the initiative, dubbed the Smart Robotics Industry Promotion Plan, via executive order, senior officials told a post-Cabinet meeting news conference in Taipei. Taiwan’s population decline would strain the economy and the nation’s ability to care for vulnerable and elderly people, said Peter Hong (洪樂文), who heads the National Science and Technology Council’s (NSTC) Department of Engineering and Technologies. Projections show that the proportion of Taiwanese 65 or older would
The government is considering polices to increase rental subsidies for people living in social housing who get married and have children, Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) said yesterday. During an interview with the Plain Law Movement (法律白話文) podcast, Cho said that housing prices cannot be brought down overnight without affecting banks and mortgages. Therefore, the government is focusing on providing more aid for young people by taking 3 to 5 percent of urban renewal projects and zone expropriations and using that land for social housing, he said. Single people living in social housing who get married and become parents could obtain 50 percent more
Democracies must remain united in the face of a shifting geopolitical landscape, former president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) told the Copenhagen Democracy Summit on Tuesday, while emphasizing the importance of Taiwan’s security to the world. “Taiwan’s security is essential to regional stability and to defending democratic values amid mounting authoritarianism,” Tsai said at the annual forum in the Danish capital. Noting a “new geopolitical landscape” in which global trade and security face “uncertainty and unpredictability,” Tsai said that democracies must remain united and be more committed to building up resilience together in the face of challenges. Resilience “allows us to absorb shocks, adapt under
RSS