A low pressure system in the northern Pacific developed into a tropical storm at 8am yesterday and is likely to come closest to Taiwan on Thursday, according to a Central Weather Bureau forecast.
According to the bureau, Tropical Storm Nepartak, the first tropical storm of the year, was located about 3,000km from Taiwan’s southernmost tip Oluanpi (鵝鸞鼻).
It was moving slowly toward Taiwan’s southeast coastal areas, it said.
Photo courtesy of the Central Weather Bureau
The bureau said it would closely watch the development of the storm, as many variables might affect its path and intensity.
While the storm is still far away, warm weather has been forecast for the coming week across Taiwan, with daytime highs between 33oC and 36oC, with scattered thunderstorms, it said.
Although Nepartak is likely to approach the nation, it cannot be determined at the moment whether it will hit Taiwan, the bureau said in a separate news statement in the afternoon.
It said that there is high probability that Nepartak will turn north toward the ocean east of Taiwan.
As of 2pm yesterday, it was moving in a northwesterly direction at a speed of 9kph, the bureau said.
According to bureau records, the formation of Nepartak this month is the latest point in the year that the first storm has formed in the past 18 years.
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