Tropical Storm Hato formed yesterday afternoon in the waters to the east of the Philippines, the Central Weather Bureau said, adding it might issue a sea and land alert for the storm within 24 hours.
Hato evolved from a tropical depression system. Its name was given by the Japan Meteorology Agency and refers to Columba, a small, faint constellation first identified in the late 16th century.
Based on projections of the storm’s movement yesterday afternoon, the bureau said it could issue a sea alert for Hato late last night, which would be followed by a land alert this morning.
As of 5pm yesterday, Hato’s center was 790km southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻) and moving northwest at 19kph, the bureau said.
Hato’s radius had reached 100km, and it could potentially grow into a typhoon, it added.
In other news, the Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) said many areas in Taiwan were yesterday exposed to dangerously high levels of ultraviolet radiation (UV).
People in Tataka (塔塔加) in Nantou County, where the EPA’s standard UV index reached 15 at 12pm, were at the greatest risk, the EPA said.
The UV index hit 14 on Yushan and on Orchid Island (蘭嶼, Lanyu) off Taitung and 13 in Taoyuan’s Sinwu District (新屋), Taichung’s Shalu District (沙鹿), Yilan County and Taitung.
Index readings of above 11 were registered in several other areas, including Keelung and Taoyuan; Hsinchu, Miaoli, Changhua, Chiayi, Pingtung, Hualien counties; and New Taipei City’s Banciao District (板橋), the agency said.
Given the high index levels, it urged the public to avoid outdoor activities between 10am and 2pm.
Tropical Storm Usagi strengthened to a typhoon yesterday morning and remains on track to brush past southeastern Taiwan from tomorrow to Sunday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. As of 2pm yesterday, the storm was approximately 950km east-southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan proper’s southernmost point, the CWA said. It is expected to enter the Bashi Channel and then turn north, moving into waters southeast of Taiwan, it said. The agency said it could issue a sea warning in the early hours of today and a land warning in the afternoon. As of 2pm yesterday, the storm was moving at
DISCONTENT: The CCP finds positive content about the lives of the Chinese living in Taiwan threatening, as such video could upset people in China, an expert said Chinese spouses of Taiwanese who make videos about their lives in Taiwan have been facing online threats from people in China, a source said yesterday. Some young Chinese spouses of Taiwanese make videos about their lives in Taiwan, often speaking favorably about their living conditions in the nation compared with those in China, the source said. However, the videos have caught the attention of Chinese officials, causing the spouses to come under attack by Beijing’s cyberarmy, they said. “People have been messing with the YouTube channels of these Chinese spouses and have been harassing their family members back in China,”
UPDATED FORECAST: The warning covered areas of Pingtung County and Hengchun Peninsula, while a sea warning covering the southern Taiwan Strait was amended The Central Weather Administration (CWA) at 5:30pm yesterday issued a land warning for Typhoon Usagi as the storm approached Taiwan from the south after passing over the Philippines. As of 5pm, Usagi was 420km south-southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan proper’s southernmost tip, with an average radius of 150km, the CWA said. The land warning covered areas of Pingtung County and the Hengchun Peninsula (恆春), and came with an amended sea warning, updating a warning issued yesterday morning to cover the southern part of the Taiwan Strait. No local governments had announced any class or office closures as of press time last night. The typhoon
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) yesterday said there are four weather systems in the western Pacific, with one likely to strengthen into a tropical storm and pose a threat to Taiwan. The nascent tropical storm would be named Usagi and would be the fourth storm in the western Pacific at the moment, along with Typhoon Yinxing and tropical storms Toraji and Manyi, the CWA said. It would be the first time that four tropical cyclones exist simultaneously in November, it added. Records from the meteorology agency showed that three tropical cyclones existed concurrently in January in 1968, 1991 and 1992.