Taipei: Tropical Storm Mekkhala is forecast to strengthen into a typhoon on Monday and could come close enough to Taiwan later in the week to prompt a sea warning, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said Saturday.

According to Focus Taiwan, as of 2 p.m., the storm was located 1,870 kilometers southeast of Taiwan's southern tip and moving west-northwest at 23 km per hour. CWA forecaster Cheng Chieh-jen stated that Mekkhala is expected to continue its west-northwest movement through Tuesday under the influence of the Pacific high-pressure system before gradually turning north toward waters east of Taiwan or south of the Ryukyu Islands.

The timing and angle of this northward turn remain uncertain, but current forecasts indicate that the storm will be closest to Taiwan on Thursday and Friday, Cheng noted. Although the storm's exact track is still unclear, the CWA has not ruled out issuing a sea warning.

Cheng also mentioned that conditions over the coming days are likely to support further strengthening of Mekkhala, which is expected to intensify into a typhoon on Monday. However, as the storm turns north, environmental factors may become less favorable, potentially leading to its gradual weakening.

Meanwhile, the weather in Taiwan is expected to remain hot through Wednesday, with mostly sunny to partly cloudy skies and isolated afternoon thunderstorms in mountainous regions. As Mekkhala moves northward east of Taiwan on Thursday and Friday, increased moisture from southwesterly winds along the edge of the Pacific high-pressure system could result in scattered showers and thunderstorms in southern Taiwan. Other areas are expected to remain partly cloudy with localized afternoon thunderstorms.

By Saturday, the storm is forecast to move farther away from Taiwan, allowing the weather to return to mostly sunny conditions with isolated afternoon showers, according to the CWA.