A tropical depression located in the South China Sea has developed into a tropical storm that could bring rain to Taiwan starting on Friday, according to the Central Weather Bureau (CWB).
As of 8 a.m. Thursday, storm Chaba was moving north at a speed of 7 kilometers per hour, packing sustained winds of 64.8 km/h and gusts of up to 90 km/h, the weather bureau said.
Current forecasts show that the storm will not directly affect Taiwan, but will instead veer to the northwest as it approaches the area between Hong Kong and Hainan Island in China.
Chaba and another tropical depression currently in waters east of the Philippines have produced a large low-pressure area that will bring unstable weather to Taiwan over the next week, CWB forecaster Lin Ting-yi (???) told CNA.
From Friday, there will be a chance of rain or thundershowers throughout the day in southern Taiwan, while the north will see mostly cloudy skies with a chance of afternoon showers, Lin said.
Next Tuesday, strengthening southwesterly winds will bring on another bout of wet weather, including the possibility of locally heavy rain in the south and central regions, and more afternoon showers in the north, Lin said.
Chaba – which is named after the Thai word for the Hibiscus flower – is the third tropical storm in the North Pacific this year, according to the CWB.
Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel