Possible storm south of Japan not to affect Taiwan: CWA

Taipei, July 11 (CNA) A tropical depression in waters south of Japan that could potentially turn into a tropical storm is not expected to affect Taiwan, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said Friday.

The system formed at 2 p.m. on Friday in waters 1,860 kilometers east of Taipei, and is moving north-northwesterly at a speed of 13 kilometers per hour, the CWA said in a weather update released at 5 p.m.

CWA forecaster Huang En-hung (黃恩鴻) told CNA that the tropical depression could intensify into a tropical storm -- the fifth of the year named Nari in the Western North Pacific -- within the next 36 hours, but since it is expected to move in a north-northeast direction, it poses no threat to Taiwan.

Huang also said that a monsoon low-pressure system may develop over waters east of the Philippines on Thursday, which could form into a tropical system and further intensify into a tropical storm.

The CWA renewed its heavy rain advisories Friday afternoon as Taiwan is under a low-pressure belt, warning of isolated heavy rain or extremely heavy rain in the outlying Kinmen County, and isolated heavy rain in Kaohsiung and Pingtung County.

The weather agency defines heavy rain as accumulated rainfall of 80 millimeters or more within a 24-hour period or 40 mm or more in an hour, while extremely heavy rain refers to accumulated rainfall of 200 mm or more within 24 hours.

Huang projected that the rain would ease with the weather becoming mostly cloudy across Taiwan by the weekend.

Temperature highs are forecast to reach 32-34 degrees Celsius around Taiwan on Saturday, with the chance of brief, sporadic showers in the coastal areas of southern and central Taiwan Saturday morning, Huang said.