A sea alert for Typhoon In-Fa could be issued this morning as it moves toward Taiwan, although it remains uncertain if its center would make landfall, the Central Weather Bureau said yesterday.
Meanwhile, Tropical Storm Cempaka was upgraded to a typhoon yesterday morning as it moved north toward China’s Guangdong Province, the bureau said.
As of 2pm yesterday, In-Fa was classified as a tropical storm and was centered 800km east of Taipei, moving west at 13kph with maximum sustained winds of 101kph.
Photo: Lu Hsien-hsiu, Taipei Times
It was upgraded to a moderate typhoon at 8pm yesterday evening.
In other news, the bureau yesterday announced that it had completed the installation and renovation of 576 automatic weather observation stations nationwide.
The 14-year project had cost NT$290 million (US$10.33 million), the bureau said.
Photo courtesy of the Central Weather Bureau via CNA
The automatic system, including 437 weather observation stations and 139 rain observation stations, would enable the agency to collect meteorological data that could be used to prevent damage and casualties caused by flooding, mudflows and landslides, it said.
The bureau has since 1985 budgeted funding annually to build the 24-hour automatic weather observation system, it said.
By 2005, 257 rain observation stations and 119 weather observation stations had been installed.
Between 2006 and last year, the bureau gradually retired old stations and installed new ones, it said.
With advances in weather forecast technology, the bureau also upgraded some of the rain observation stations so that they are able to monitor changes in temperature, humidity, air pressure and wind speed.
That helped raise the density of observation stations nationwide, it added.
The system not only enhances the efficiency of the weather forecast service, it also enables the agency to more accurately forecast occurrences of topography-induced weather, such as high temperatures in the East Rift Valley between Hualien and Taitung, strong precipitation in the mountainous areas of New Taipei City, and Yilan and Pingtung counties, as well as katabatic wind in the Hengchun Peninsula.
Weather data collected by the system would allow the agency to issue timely alerts for typhoons and other extreme weather events, and it can also be used in scientific research, the bureau said.
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
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
At least 35 people were killed and dozens more injured when a man plowed his car into pedestrians exercising around a sports center in the southern Chinese city of Zhuhai on Monday night. Footage showing bodies lying on the pavement appeared on social media in the hours after the crash, but had vanished by early Tuesday morning, and local police reported only “injuries.” It took officials nearly 24 hours to reveal that dozens had died — in one of the country’s deadliest incidents in years. China heavily monitors social media platforms, where it is common for words and topics deemed
Typhoon Usagi yesterday had weakened into a tropical storm, but a land warning issued by the Central Weather Administration (CWA) was still in effect in four areas in southern Taiwan. As of 5pm yesterday, Tropical Storm Usagi was over waters 120km south-southwest of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), the southernmost tip of Taiwan proper, and was moving north at 9kph, CWA data showed. The storm was expected to veer northeast later yesterday. It had maximum sustained winds of 101kph, with gusts of up to 126kph, the data showed. The CWA urged residents of Kaohsiung, Pingtung County, Taitung County and the Hengchun Peninsula (恆春) to remain alert to
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