The Central Weather Bureau yesterday issued a sea warning for Tropical Storm Hagupit and said that the storm would continue to affect the nation today.
As of 8:40pm, the storm’s center was 280km southeast of Hualien, moving northwesterly at 20kph, with a maximum wind speed of 83kph near its center, the bureau’s data showed.
Hagupit was approaching northeastern Taiwan, threatening vessels operating near the northeast and north coasts, bureau forecaster Hsu Chung-yi (徐仲毅) said.
Photo: EPA-EFE / Ritchie B. Tongo
The storm would become slightly stronger as it moves closer to Taiwan, he said.
Heavy rainfall is forecast for the north and south of Taiwan today due to the combined influence of the approaching storm, stronger southwesterly winds and radiative effects, Hsu said.
A low-pressure system in the south, along with the storm, would bring swells off the north coast, east coast, the Hengchun Peninsula, Green Island (綠島), Orchid Island (Lanyu, 蘭嶼), and Penghu and Lienchiang counties, Hsu said.
Photo: Chang Chia-ming, Taipei Times
People should avoid coastal activities, he said.
Meanwhile, foehn winds are likely in the southeast today, so the bureau has issued a yellow alert, which means that temperatures in the region could reach 36°C or higher, Hsu said.
The bureau did not rule out issuing a land alert for Hagupit, but it would depend on the force of a Pacific high-pressure system, which, if it strengthens, could cause the storm to move closer to Taiwan, he said.
Based on the bureau’s projected path, Hagupit would come close to Taiwan’s northeast coast today before moving toward China tomorrow.
Hagupit is a Filipino word for “smash” or “lash.” In 2014, a typhoon by that name caused massive destruction in the eastern Philippines, killing 27 people on the island of Samar.
Additional reporting by staff writer
ROLLER-COASTER RIDE: More than five earthquakes ranging from magnitude 4.4 to 5.5 on the Richter scale shook eastern Taiwan in rapid succession yesterday afternoon Back-to-back weather fronts are forecast to hit Taiwan this week, resulting in rain across the nation in the coming days, the Central Weather Administration said yesterday, as it also warned residents in mountainous regions to be wary of landslides and rockfalls. As the first front approached, sporadic rainfall began in central and northern parts of Taiwan yesterday, the agency said, adding that rain is forecast to intensify in those regions today, while brief showers would also affect other parts of the nation. A second weather system is forecast to arrive on Thursday, bringing additional rain to the whole nation until Sunday, it
CONDITIONAL: The PRC imposes secret requirements that the funding it provides cannot be spent in states with diplomatic relations with Taiwan, Emma Reilly said China has been bribing UN officials to obtain “special benefits” and to block funding from countries that have diplomatic ties with Taiwan, a former UN employee told the British House of Commons on Tuesday. At a House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee hearing into “international relations within the multilateral system,” former Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) employee Emma Reilly said in a written statement that “Beijing paid bribes to the two successive Presidents of the [UN] General Assembly” during the two-year negotiation of the Sustainable Development Goals. Another way China exercises influence within the UN Secretariat is
CHINA REACTS: The patrol and reconnaissance plane ‘transited the Taiwan Strait in international airspace,’ the 7th Fleet said, while Taipei said it saw nothing unusual The US 7th Fleet yesterday said that a US Navy P-8A Poseidon flew through the Taiwan Strait, a day after US and Chinese defense heads held their first talks since November 2022 in an effort to reduce regional tensions. The patrol and reconnaissance plane “transited the Taiwan Strait in international airspace,” the 7th Fleet said in a news release. “By operating within the Taiwan Strait in accordance with international law, the United States upholds the navigational rights and freedoms of all nations.” In a separate statement, the Ministry of National Defense said that it monitored nearby waters and airspace as the aircraft
Taiwan’s first drag queen to compete on the internationally acclaimed RuPaul’s Drag Race, Nymphia Wind (妮妃雅), was on Friday crowned the “Next Drag Superstar.” Dressed in a sparkling banana dress, Nymphia Wind swept onto the stage for the final, and stole the show. “Taiwan this is for you,” she said right after show host RuPaul announced her as the winner. “To those who feel like they don’t belong, just remember to live fearlessly and to live their truth,” she said on stage. One of the frontrunners for the past 15 episodes, the 28-year-old breezed through to the final after weeks of showcasing her unique