Tropical depression TD22, which was over waters south of the Ryukyu Islands, is likely to develop into a tropical storm by this morning and pose a significant threat to Taiwan next week, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday.
The depression is likely to strengthen into a tropical storm named Krathon as it moves south and then veers north toward waters off Taiwan’s eastern coast, CWA forecaster Hsu Chung-yi (徐仲毅) said.
Given the favorable environmental conditions for its development, TD22’s intensity would reach at least typhoon levels, Hsu said.
Photo: Screen grab from the Central Weather Administration’s Web site
As of 2pm yesterday, the tropical depression was about 610km east-southeast of Taiwan proper’s southernmost point, Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), moving south-southwest at 14kph, CWA data showed.
It was packing maximum sustained winds of 54kph and gusts of up to 82.8kph, the data showed.
The wind and rain associated with the storm’s outer rim are expected to intensify over the weekend, with the system potentially coming closest to Taiwan on Tuesday or Wednesday next week, Hsu said.
By then, it is likely to bring torrential rainfall to northern, central and eastern regions, while a sea or land warning would also be possible, he added.
As a precaution, the Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency announced that forest parks in northern and eastern Taiwan might be closed tomorrow.
Meanwhile, TD21 developed into Tropical Storm Jebi yesterday afternoon, but it is forecast to move north toward Japan and is not likely to affect Taiwan, the CWA said.
As of 2pm yesterday, Jebi was packing maximum sustained winds of 64.8kph and gusts of up to 90kph, it said.
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