《TAIPEI TIMES 焦點》 CWB forecasters keeping watch on storm Fung-Wong

By Shelley Shan / Staff reporter

The Central Weather Bureau （CWB） yesterday said that it could issue a sea alert for Tropical Storm Fung-Wong （鳳凰） around noon today as it is approaching the nation’s east coast, although it might issue a land alert if the storm delays in moving northward.

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Formed early yesterday, Fung-Wong is unlikely to hit Taiwan directly, but could bring rainfall as it passes over waters east of Taiwan, forecasters said.

As of 2pm, the center of Fung-Wong was 1,100km southeast of Oluanpi （鵝鑾鼻）. It was moving northwest at 23kph, with the radius of the storm reaching 100km.

The bureau’s projected path for Fung-Wong has the storm changing course — making almost a 90-degree turn — when it reaches waters off the north coast of the Philippines’ Luzon Island today.

The bureau said the storm is expected to move north along the east coast of Taiwan after it enters the Bashi Channel.

Forecasters in the US and several other countries have issued similar predictions, but the Japan Meteorological Agency expects the storm to start moving north before nearing southern Taiwan.

Daniel Wu （吳德榮）, former director of the weather forecast center, said that the storm would have a small impact on Taiwan if it turns northward early.

“If the storm turns north after it moves to the Bashi Channel, the storm would pose a threat to Taiwan. Not only would the bureau issue a sea alert, it could even issue a land alert,” Wu said.

The storm is forecast to make a close to 90-degree turn near Luzon because it will need to move along the edge of a weakened high pressure system in the Pacific Ocean, Wu said.

Such a phenomenon is not unusual, although the angle seems sharper this time because the path of movement is very close to Taiwan, he said.

The northeast monsoon that was forecast to arrive today would be rather weak, he said, making it less likely to interact with Fung-Wong.

The 16th storm of this year’s Pacific typhoon season, Fung-Wong means phoenix in Cantonese.

Meanwhile, daytime temperatures today could still exceed 36?C, forecasters said.（Additional reporting by CNA）

新聞來源：TAIPEI TIMES