Scorching weather to continue as tropical storm misses Taiwan: CWA

Taipei, July 3 (CNA) Sunny and scorching weather will persist across Taiwan on Thursday, while a tropical storm forming southeast of Japan is not expected to directly affect the country, according to the Central Weather Administration (CWA).

Temperatures are forecast to range from 32-36 degrees Celsius nationwide, with some areas in central, southern and northern Taiwan likely to exceed 36 degrees, the CWA said.

An 'orange' heat alert -- issued when daily highs hit 36 degrees Celsius for three consecutive days -- is in effect for the cities of Taipei, New Taipei, Taoyuan and Tainan, as well as for Hsinchu, Miaoli, Changhua, Yunlin and the outlying county of Kinmen.

In addition, the CWA said a 'yellow' heat advisory is in effect for Hsinchu City and the counties of Chiayi and Yilan.

Brief, sporadic showers are expected in northern and eastern Taiwan, as well as the Hengchun Peninsula, in the afternoon, the CWA said, adding that localized thunderstorms may also occur south of Chiayi and in mountainous areas.

Independent meteorologist Wu Der-rong (吳德榮) said sunny and cloudy weather is expected to continue through Saturday, with rain moving in from Sunday and temperatures dropping slightly over the following two days.

According to the CWA, a tropical depression southeast of Japan strengthened into Tropical Storm Mun around 2 a.m. Thursday.

The weather administration said the storm will have no direct impact on Taiwan, as it is 2,440 kilometers away and moving north-northwest.

Wu said another tropical system is slowly developing near the northern tip of Luzon in the Philippines. According to various forecast models, its path could initially move westward under the influence of a Pacific high-pressure system.

Its development will continue to be monitored, he added.