A weather front is imminently expected to form Tropical Storm Com-May, which might strike Taiwan as the newly-formed Tropical Storm Francisco grazes the nation, introducing uncertainty ahead of Saturday’s recall votes.
The Central Election Commission (CEC) yesterday said recall elections would be suspended in areas where local governments declare school and office closures due to an approaching typhoon.
Tropical Depression 11 was at latitude 18.4° north and longitude 119° east in the South China Sea, moving southwest at 9kph and gathering strength as it went, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday.
Photo courtesy of the Central Election Commission
Com-May is expected to pass through Luzon, the Philippines, and cross paths with Francisco, imparting a counterclockwise pivot to the north, steering the storm toward the waters off eastern Taiwan, it said.
Interactions between two distinct storm systems might lead to unpredictable results, the CWA said, adding that the situation is being closely monitored for potential risks to Taiwan.
Francisco yesterday morning transformed from a tropical depression to a storm.
The eye of the storm as of 8am yesterday was 980km east of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), the southernmost point of Taiwan, moving north-northwest at 20kph.
Taiwan’s central and southern regions, as well as mountainous areas, could today see brief spells of heavy rain, the CWA said.
The approach of Tropical Storm Francisco is tomorrow expected to bring heavy rains to the northern region, heavy rains in parts of the central and southern regions, and all mountainous areas, it said.
The storm is expected to depart from Taiwan’s vicinity on Saturday and Sunday, leading to rains in the central and southern regions, and thunderstorms in other parts, it said.
Beaufort scale 6 to 8 gales, or winds even stronger than that, might strike the waters off the coastline between Taoyuan and Yunlin County, as well as off Taitung County, Pintung County’s Hengchun Peninsula (恆春半島) and the outlying counties of Penghu, Kimen and Lienjiang, the CWA said.
People planning on engaging in coastal or maritime activities should be cautious of the hazardous conditions, it said.
The members of the Facebook group Taiwan Typhoon Forum said that the two storms’ meeting might give rise to freak phenomena in their peripheries or heavy rainfall, despite neither being particularly strong.
Meanwhile, the CEC yesterday said it would closely monitor the latest weather conditions.
To deal with any unexpected situations related to the recall votes on Saturday, the CEC has established a response center to guide and supervise local election commissions, and coordinate with relevant agencies, it said.
If local governments announce exceptional situations for local areas, the CEC and local election commissions would act according to the Public Officials Election and Recall Act (公職人員選舉罷免法), the agency added.
Recall votes for 24 Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) lawmakers and suspended Hsinchu City mayor Ann Kao (高虹安) are scheduled for Saturday, while recall elections for seven other KMT lawmakers are scheduled for Aug. 23.
Additional reporting by CNA
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