Tropical Storm In-Fa could be upgraded to a typhoon today, while another tropical storm formed in the South China Sea yesterday morning, the Central Weather Bureau said yesterday.
As of 8am yesterday, In-Fa was 1,050km east of Taipei, bureau data showed. The tropical storm was moving northwest at 8kph and its radius had reached 100km.
Tropical Storm Cempaka, which had formed in the South China Sea, was 800km west of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻). It was moving north toward China’s Guangdong Province at 6kph and had a radius of 80km.
Cempaka was not expected to affect Taiwan directly, but In-Fa is expected to affect the nation’s weather from today until the weekend, bureau senior forecaster Lee Meng-hsuan (李孟軒) said.
The bureau’s projected path for In-Fa veers westward and approaches the north coast of Taiwan, Lee said.
“In-Fa could turn into a typhoon today, as the atmosphere is favorable for such a development. The radius of the storm is expected to expand as well,” he said, adding that it is expected to be centered off the north coast on Friday and Saturday.
As In-Fa approaches the nation, showers or thundershowers are forecast for northern and northeastern regions today and tomorrow, Lee said.
Meanwhile, afternoon thundershowers are forecast for the rest of the nation, with a high chance of heavy rainfall in mountainous regions, he said.
Isolated showers are forecast in central and southern Taiwan this morning, he added.
From Thursday to Saturday, rain showers in northern and northeastern regions would become more frequent as In-Fa moves closer to the nation, Lee said.
However, there is uncertainty as to where In-Fa would move after Thursday, he said, adding that the strength of a high pressure system in the Pacific is key.
“The storm would move north if the high pressure system weakens, but it would move closer to Taiwan if the high pressure system strengthens,” Lee said.
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