Tropical Storm Vongfong Approaches Taiwan

CWB Satellite Image

As of Wednesday afternoon Taiwan’s Central Weather Bureau (CWB) has indicated that Tropical Storm Vongfong, the first significant weather pattern of the season approaching the country, is unlikely to have any major effects on Taiwan in the immediate future.

The CWB is, however, maintaining a watch on the weather system, and earlier today it was reported as located around 1,400km southeast of southern Taiwan.

The bureau is watching to see how the winds and rain generated by Vongfong affect the annual plum rains in Taiwan.

The annual ‘plum rain’ front is anticipated to arrive over Taiwan early next week.

Tropical Storm Vongfong was last reported as moving slowly in a west – northwesterly direction this morning, with gusts of up to 35 meters per second.

To the north of Taiwan, Japanese Meteorological Office projections, also monitoring Vongfong, currently have the system as turning north over Taiwan proper during the coming weekend, but this should be after it has weakened tomorrow and Friday over the northern Philippines.

Localised showers and possible thunderstorms are forecast for some areas of Taiwan through Saturday and Sunday.

Mark Buckton

Mark is a journalism vet of 20 years with most of those years spent in Tokyo, Japan, as a columnist for The Japan Times and numerous other publications. His work has appeared on CNN, in the BBC, NPR, and in several dozen other media forms and publications across five continents.