Tropical disturbance may strengthen into typhoon by Friday: CWA

Taipei, Sept. 30 (CNA) A tropical disturbance east of the Philippines is forecast to strengthen into a tropical depression on Thursday and may become a typhoon by Friday or Saturday, Taiwan's Central Weather Administration (CWA) said Tuesday.

The storm is expected to cross the Philippines' Luzon Island before heading toward Vietnam, according to CWA forecaster Lin Ting-yi (林定宜).

Lin said Taiwan will likely see the rainiest conditions of the week on Friday and Saturday, with thunderstorms expected in eastern and southern Taiwan, as well as mountainous areas.

Taiwan will continue to be influenced by a high-pressure system over the Pacific Ocean through Thursday, resulting in mostly sunny to cloudy skies, the forecaster said.

He added that southern Taiwan and mountainous areas will see short thundershowers in the afternoon on Wednesday and Thursday, and heavy rain is possible in mountainous areas in central and southern Taiwan.

Lin said highs on Wednesday and Thursday will reach 33 to 35 degrees Celsius in western Taiwan and 29 to 31 degrees in eastern Taiwan, while the greater Taipei area could see temperatures above 36 degrees.

On Friday and Saturday, Taiwan is expected to be affected by the tropical depression or the typhoon's outer cloud bands, with rain showers or thunderstorms forecast for Hualien, Taitung and Pingtung counties.

Other areas will remain mostly sunny to cloudy, Lin said.

While the projected path of the potential typhoon resembles that of Typhoon Ragasa, it is tracking farther south, Lin noted.

Ragasa swept across waters south of Taiwan into the South China Sea last Monday and Tuesday, with its radius at one point covering Pingtung and Taitung counties as well as the Hengchun Peninsula.

The heavy rain the storm brought triggered the overflow of a barrier lake in Hualien County, causing massive flooding that had left 18 people dead and six missing in Guangfu Township as of Tuesday.