Tropical Storm Trami has formed, moving toward waters east of Luzon

Taipei, Oct. 22 (CNA) A tropical depression east of the Philippines became a tropical storm named Trami at 2 a.m. Tuesday, and is projected to move west-northwest toward waters east of Luzon Island, according to the Central Weather Administration (CWA).

As of 8 a.m., Trami's center was located 700 kilometers east of Manila, or 1,180 km southeast of Cape Eluanbi (Taiwan's southernmost point), moving in a northwestern direction.

It was carrying maximum sustained winds of 65 kilometers per hour, with gusts of up to 90 kph, according to CWA data.

The weather agency forecast the center of the storm would be over waters 470 km east-northeast of Manila or 820 km southeast of Cape Eluanbi at 8 a.m. Wednesday, and urged ships sailing in the Bashi Channel and east of the Philippines to closely watch Trami's movements.

Independent meteorologist Wu Der-rong (吳德榮) did not expect the storm to have a direct impact on Taiwan, and said Trami's core structure was loose and unlikely to intensify into a typhoon.

Yet while the probability of a direct hit on Taiwan has fallen below 8 percent, the storm could bring significant rainfall to eastern Taiwan because of its size, he projected on Tuesday.

Other storms named Trami, a moniker submitted by Vietnam that refers to a tree in the rose family, have caused serious damage to Taiwan twice in history, in 2001 and 2013.

In 2001, Tropical Strom Trami caused severe flooding in the Kaohsiung area and left more than 136,000 households without power. In 2013, Tropical Storm Trami caused widespread flooding in western Taiwan and landslides in northern and central mountain areas.

As for Tuesday's weather, the CWA said there will be scattered brief showers along the northern and northeastern coasts of Taiwan, as well as in Yilan and in mountainous regions in the Greater Taipei area on Tuesday morning.

The agency forecast that intensifying northeasterly winds would bring continuous rainfall in the afternoon to those same regions.

There is also a chance of localized heavy rain, particularly in the northeastern mountains, where torrential rain may occur, the CWA said.

Elsewhere, northern and eastern Taiwan and the Hengchun Peninsula may experience occasional showers, while central and southern Taiwan and the outlying Penghu, Kinmen, and Matsu islands will remain mostly cloudy to sunny.

Temperature-wise, due to the strengthening northeasterly winds, northern and northeastern Taiwan will see a noticeable drop in the mercury, with daytime highs across Taiwan hitting 26-33 degrees Celsius.

Temperature lows will hover between 23 and 25 degrees, the CWA forecast.