A new tropical storm that has formed east of Taiwan is not expected to affect the nation directly, but is forecast to bring heavy rain to the south.
Tropical Storm Jongdari at 2am today became the ninth Pacific cyclone of the year, and the fifth to form from the same low-pressure system in the past two weeks.
It is expected to move northward toward South Korea without directly affecting Taiwan, WeatherRisk analyst Wu Sheng-yu (吳聖宇) said on Facebook.
Photo courtesy of the Central Weather Administration
However, its northern movement is to intensify the southwestern monsoon today and tomorrow, bringing heavy rain to the center and south of the country, and localized downpours elsewhere, he said.
Daniel Wu (吳德榮), an adjunct associate professor of atmospheric sciences at National Central University, said that the latest European model shows the low-pressure system gradually dissipating over the next two days.
However, the southwest monsoon is still crossing over Taiwan, bringing a chance of localized heavy thunderstorms as it interacts with the terrain, he said.
The Pacific high is to strengthen from Wednesday to Sunday, bringing clear and hot weather across the country.
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