Heat alerts issued for parts of Taiwan as tropical storm likely to form

Taipei, Sept. 1 (CNA) A tropical depression in waters east of the Philippines could develop into this year's 11th tropical storm dubbed Yagi as soon as Monday and bring rainfall to Taiwan as it approaches, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said on Sunday, while issuing heat warnings for 14 cities and counties.

Weather model simulations in various countries show that there are still considerable differences in the path that the tropical depression is projected to take in the future. It is possible that it will pass through the Bashi Channel to the South China Sea or turn northeast and move toward the sea south of Japan, CWA forecaster Yeh Chih-chun (葉致均) said at a news briefing.

Yeh added that the uncertainty of its movement is still high and could have different impacts on Taiwan's weather.

Meanwhile, meteorologist Wu Der-rong (吳德榮) said that Tropical Storm Yagi could form near Taiwan and pass by or land on the island between Thursday and Saturday, citing the latest simulations from the European and United States weather forecasting models.

The weather in Taiwan from Thursday to Saturday is expected to become unstable due to the effects of Yagi's outer rim or its direct impact, Wu said.

On Sunday, the CWA issued an orange heat warning for Tainan and Kaohsiung cities as well as Changhua, Pingtung, Yilan, Hualien, and Taitung counties, indicating they could see highs of 36 degrees Celsius for at least three consecutive days.

The orange-level alert was also issued for Taipei, New Taipei, Taoyuan, and Hsinchu County, where maximum temperatures are forecast to reach 38 degrees Celsius, said the CWA.

It also issued a yellow heat alert for Taichung, Keelung, Hsinchu and Chiayi cities, as well as Miaoli and Yunlin counties, indicating a high of 36 degrees for a single day.

Also Sunday, cloudy to sunny skies are expected to prevail around Taiwan proper and the outlying islands of Penghu, Kinmen and Matsu, with a chance of thundershowers in mountainous areas, according to the CWA.

Generally, highs of 33-35 degrees Celsius are forecast around Taiwan on Sunday, the weather agency added.

As of 12:50 p.m., the day's highest temperature was recorded at New Taipei's Sanxia District, with a temperature of 39.3 degrees. It was followed by 39 degrees in Hsinchu County's Zhudong township and 38.5 degrees in Taoyuan's Bade District, according to CWA data.

However, the above measurements will not be included in Taiwan's official heat records, as they are all from automatic weather stations instead of manually operated weather stations, the CWA said.

The hot summer temperatures will continue on Monday, with sunny to cloudy skies forecast around the island. From Tuesday night to Wednesday, moisture will increase around Taiwan with the movement of the tropical depression when the north coast, the eastern half of Taiwan, the Hengchun Peninsula in Pingtung County and mountainous area of Greater Taipei have a chance of scattered brief rainfall, while the other areas are likely to see thundershowers in the afternoon, Yeh said.

From Thursday, the eastern half will see significant rainfall, he added.

According to the CWA's September weather forecasts, there is a low possibility that the average temperature in the month is "below" the normal value, but there is a high possibility that the rainfall is "close to" the normal amount.

The agency said that there is still a chance of tropical storms or typhoons hitting Taiwan from September to November but the number could be slightly lower than normal, with one or two forecast.

However, the storms affecting Taiwan in autumn could bring heavy rainfall because they are often accompanied by the seasonal northeasterly winds, according to the agency.