Taipei: The Central Weather Administration (CWA) issued a sea warning for Tropical Storm Noul late Thursday night as the storm intensified east of the Philippines and moved toward waters south of Taiwan.

According to Focus Taiwan, by 5 a.m. Friday, Noul was positioned approximately 530 kilometers southeast of Cape Eluanbi, the southernmost point of Taiwan. The storm was advancing west-northwest at a speed of 25-28 kilometers per hour, with maximum sustained winds reaching 65 kilometers per hour.

CWA forecaster Tseng Chao-cheng indicated that Tropical Storm Noul is anticipated to maintain its strength as it traverses the Bashi Channel south of Taiwan. There is potential for the storm to intensify over the South China Sea before making landfall in China's Guangdong Province as a typhoon.

The outer rainbands of Noul are expected to impact Taiwan starting Friday, with increasing rainfall forecasted for eastern Taiwan and the Hengchun Peninsula later in the day. The storm is predicted to make its closest approach to Taiwan on Saturday, bringing heavy to extremely heavy rain to areas such as Hualien, Taitung, and the Hengchun Peninsula. Southern Taiwan may also experience localized heavy rain.

Scattered showers are likely in the Greater Taipei area, Yilan, Keelung, the north coast, and mountainous regions. Although the storm is projected to move away on Sunday and Monday, moist southerly winds will persist, causing localized heavy rain in Taitung and the Hengchun Peninsula, as well as afternoon thunderstorms in other areas.

Conditions are expected to improve starting Tuesday as moisture levels gradually decrease. Temperatures will remain high throughout the coming week, with daytime highs ranging from 32 to 35 degrees Celsius across most of Taiwan. Tseng noted that a foehn effect, caused by southeasterly winds descending the mountains, could elevate temperatures in northern Taiwan on Friday. The hot weather is expected to extend to central Taiwan on Saturday, with possible localized highs of 36-37 degrees.

The CWA also issued a warning about long-period swells expected from Friday night through early Sunday along Taiwan's eastern and southwestern coasts, the Hengchun Peninsula, and Penghu, as well as around Orchid Island and Green Island.