Tropical Storm Nalgae, approaching the Philippines from the east, could bring heavy rainfall to Taiwan’s northern and eastern areas as well as the Hengchun Peninsula from tomorrow to Wednesday, the Central Weather Bureau (CWB) said yesterday.
Nalgae is expected to move westward over Luzon island in the Philippines today and tomorrow before turning north toward Taiwan, the bureau said.
The path Nalgae takes is largely dependent on its speed. If the storm moves slower than expected, it is more likely to track west and approach Taiwan or move into the South China Sea, it said.
The storm is expected to be closest to Taiwan on Tuesday or Wednesday, the bureau added.
As of 2pm yesterday, Nalgae was 650km east-southeast of Manila, moving west-northwest at 23kph, the bureau said.
The storm had a radius of 120km and was carrying maximum sustained winds of 83kph with gusts of up to 108kph, the bureau said.
Wu Der-rong (吳德榮), an adjunct associate professor of atmospheric sciences at National Central University, said that Nalgae could continue to strengthen before approaching Taiwan and even develop into a typhoon, but it is too early to say with any degree of certainty, including whether a sea warning would be issued.
The earlier Nalgae turns north, the more of a threat it becomes due to the torrential rainfall it would bring from the windward side, while the later it turns north, the smaller, but more sustained impact it could have on Taiwan, he said.
In a precautionary move, Taipingshan National Forest Recreation Area in northeastern Taiwan yesterday announced that it would be temporarily closed from noon today to Monday.
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