Tropical storm could form near Philippines as soon as Monday

Taipei, Oct. 21 (CNA) A tropical depression situated on waters east of the Philippines could strengthen into a tropical storm as soon as Monday, according to the Central Weather Administration (CWA).

On Monday, the CWA said based on current forecasts the weather system is expected to move in a westward trajectory that would bring its outer rim close to Taiwan on Thursday and Friday.

The administration said the outer rim of the system might disrupt Taiwan's weather and bring rain to the northern and eastern parts of the island.

The path of the system on Saturday and Sunday remains uncertain, but it could still approach Taiwan and be categorized as a typhoon with the current environment providing an optimal chance for it to strengthen, the CWA said.

The administration does not rule out the possibility of issuing a typhoon warning if the typhoon's trajectory heads north rather than west.

Mountainous areas in greater Taipei, the northern coast of Keelung as well as Yilan and Hualien counties could experience sporadic heavy rain on Thursday and Friday due to the effects of renewed northeasterly winds, while mountainous areas in central and southern Taiwan will likely see sporadic rain, the CWA added.

The northern coast of Keelung and Yilan could even experience extremely heavy rain on those days, the administration said.

Greater Taipei, Yilan and Hualien are also expected to see extremely heavy rain from Saturday to Sunday due to the approaching tropical system.

Meanwhile, the weakening of northeasterly winds means temperature highs throughout the nation could hit around 30 degrees Celsius on Monday and Tuesday.

The temperature in northern Taiwan on Wednesday and Thursday is forecast at 24 and 25 degrees while other areas remain about the same.

Although the temperature across Taiwan will rise on Friday, the increase in northern areas will be curbed due to rainfall, reaching 27 to 28 degrees, the CWA said.