Path of Typhoon Dolphin remains uncertain: CWA

Taipei, Aug. 1 (CNA) The path of Typhoon Dolphin remained uncertain as of Saturday, and it was too early to predict whether or how it would affect Taiwan's weather, according to the Central Weather Administration (CWA).

As of 8 a.m. Saturday, the center of the typhoon, which formed early Tuesday, was located about 3,880 kilometers east of Cape Eluanpi, the southernmost point of Taiwan, and moving west-northwest at 24 kilometers per hour, the CWA said.

The storm was packing maximum sustained winds of 191 kph, with gusts of up to 234 kph.

The CWA and the U.S. Navy's Joint Typhoon Warning Center displayed warning graphics on their websites showing the eye of the storm heading toward the island of Okinawa and likely to be around 600 kilometers away on Aug. 6.

Independent meteorologist Wu Der-rong (吳德榮) agreed. Citing a European weather forecasting model, Wu said there was a high probability that the typhoon's circulation would affect Okinawa as it moves westward toward the Japanese island over the next five days.

Wu estimated there was only about a 10 percent chance that the typhoon's outer circulation would affect northern Taiwan.

The CWA said Taiwan is expected to remain under the influence of a Pacific high-pressure system in the coming week, with daytime temperatures forecast to reach 33-35 degrees Celsius in western Taiwan and around 33 degrees in the east.

Temperatures could climb above 36 degrees in the Greater Taipei area and windward parts of central and southern Taiwan, the agency said.

Under this typical summer weather pattern, most parts of Taiwan are expected to see sunny skies, although afternoon thundershowers remain possible in mountainous areas, the CWA added.

The agency said, however, that moisture levels could increase in the second half of next week, bringing more rain as Dolphin moves closer to Taiwan.