One of two tropical depressions that formed off Taiwan yesterday morning could turn into a moderate typhoon by the weekend, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday.
Tropical Depression No. 21 formed at 8am about 1,850km off the southeast coast, CWA forecaster Lee Meng-hsuan (李孟軒) said.
The weather system is expected to move northwest as it builds momentum, possibly intensifying this weekend into a typhoon, which would be called Mitag, Lee said.
Photo courtesy of the Central Weather Administration
The radius of the storm is expected to reach almost 200km, she said.
It is forecast to approach the southeast of Taiwan on Monday next week and pass through the Bashi Channel on Tuesday or Wednesday, although its exact path and strength are uncertain, she said.
Meanwhile, Tropical Depression No. 20 formed about 600km south of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan proper’s southernmost point, although it has a low chance of triggering a sea warning, Lee said.
It is expected to move northwest and could make landfall on the coast of China’s Guangdong Province by Saturday, she said.
Parts of Taiwan would feel the effects of the No. 20 storm today and tomorrow, with heavy rain forecast for eastern Taiwan and the Hengchun Peninsula (恆春半島), the CWA said.
In other news, test alerts are to be sent to cellphones tomorrow, which is National Disaster Prevention Day, as part of a drill to boost public preparedness for natural disasters, the CWA said in a statement.
In the drill to test the emergency warning system, messages would warn people about a hypothetical earthquake and tsunami.
The “Survive Major Quakes, Build Resilience” drills aim to help the public familiarize themselves with correct responses during earthquakes, while also promoting self-help, mutual aid, and cooperation between the government and civic groups to build a more resilient disaster prevention framework, the statement said.
The scenario assumes a magnitude 8.5 earthquake near the Ryukyu Trench off the east coast of Taiwan at 9:21am, with a maximum intensity of “Upper 6” and a depth of only 10km, triggering a tsunami threat.
The CWA defines upper 6 intensity as “violent shaking [that] makes it almost impossible to stand.”
Messages would be sent to cellphones in three stages: a nationwide earthquake alert at 9:21am, a tsunami warning for coastal areas at 9:30am and a tsunami warning cancelation at 10am, the statement said.
Alerts would include instructions such as “drop, cover, hold on” for the earthquake test and evacuation instructions for the tsunami test, it said.
Schools and kindergartens would conduct evacuation drills organized by the Ministry of Education, it said.
Students would practice the three protective steps to improve their ability to protect themselves during earthquakes, the statement said.
The exercise is designed to ensure that the public is familiar with receiving alerts and following evacuation procedures, which would enhance Taiwan’s disaster preparedness and emergency response capacity, the CWA said.
Tomorrow’s drills would take place ahead of National Disaster Prevention Day on Sunday, the anniversary of the 921 Earthquake — a quake measuring 7.7 on the moment magnitude scale that occurred at 1:47am on Sept. 21, 1999, 9.2km southwest of Sun Moon Lake, near Jiji Township (集集) in Nantou County.
Taiwan is projected to lose a working-age population of about 6.67 million people in two waves of retirement in the coming years, as the nation confronts accelerating demographic decline and a shortage of younger workers to take their place, the Ministry of the Interior said. Taiwan experienced its largest baby boom between 1958 and 1966, when the population grew by 3.78 million, followed by a second surge of 2.89 million between 1976 and 1982, ministry data showed. In 2023, the first of those baby boom generations — those born in the late 1950s and early 1960s — began to enter retirement, triggering
ECONOMIC BOOST: Should the more than 23 million people eligible for the NT$10,000 handouts spend them the same way as in 2023, GDP could rise 0.5 percent, an official said Universal cash handouts of NT$10,000 (US$330) are to be disbursed late next month at the earliest — including to permanent residents and foreign residents married to Taiwanese — pending legislative approval, the Ministry of Finance said yesterday. The Executive Yuan yesterday approved the Special Act for Strengthening Economic, Social and National Security Resilience in Response to International Circumstances (因應國際情勢強化經濟社會及民生國安韌性特別條例). The NT$550 billion special budget includes NT$236 billion for the cash handouts, plus an additional NT$20 billion set aside as reserve funds, expected to be used to support industries. Handouts might begin one month after the bill is promulgated and would be completed within
NO CHANGE: The TRA makes clear that the US does not consider the status of Taiwan to have been determined by WWII-era documents, a former AIT deputy director said The American Institute in Taiwan’s (AIT) comments that World War-II era documents do not determine Taiwan’s political status accurately conveyed the US’ stance, the US Department of State said. An AIT spokesperson on Saturday said that a Chinese official mischaracterized World War II-era documents as stating that Taiwan was ceded to the China. The remarks from the US’ de facto embassy in Taiwan drew criticism from the Ma Ying-jeou Foundation, whose director said the comments put Taiwan in danger. The Chinese-language United Daily News yesterday reported that a US State Department spokesperson confirmed the AIT’s position. They added that the US would continue to
IMPORTANT BACKER: China seeks to expel US influence from the Indo-Pacific region and supplant Washington as the global leader, MAC Minister Chiu Chui-cheng said China is preparing for war to seize Taiwan, Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) Minister Chiu Chui-cheng (邱垂正) said in Washington on Friday, warning that Taiwan’s fall would trigger a regional “domino effect” endangering US security. In a speech titled “Maintaining the Peaceful and Stable Status Quo Across the Taiwan Strait is in Line with the Shared Interests of Taiwan and the United States,” Chiu said Taiwan’s strategic importance is “closely tied” to US interests. Geopolitically, Taiwan sits in a “core position” in the first island chain — an arc stretching from Japan, through Taiwan and the Philippines, to Borneo, which is shared by
RSS