Taipei: The Central Weather Administration (CWA) announced Tuesday that a tropical depression has formed over the South China Sea and may develop into a tropical storm within the next 24 hours, though it is not anticipated to directly impact Taiwan.

According to Focus Taiwan, the system is poised to become the first tropical storm of the year in the Western North Pacific and will be named Wutip. The forecast indicates that the system will head toward China's Hainan Island and Guangdong Province, leaving Taiwan largely unaffected. Nonetheless, the outer rain bands of the system could influence Taiwan from Thursday to Saturday, potentially causing localized heavy rain.

The CWA reported that as of 8 a.m., the center of the tropical depression was approximately 940 kilometers southwest of Cape Eluanbi, Taiwan's southernmost point, moving westward at a speed of 7 kilometers per hour. The maximum sustained winds near the center were recorded at 54 kph, with gusts reaching 82.8 kph.

The weather agency noted that from Thursday to Saturday, Taiwan could experience the effects of the outer cloud bands of the tropical system, with heavy rain potentially affecting southern and southeastern areas, as well as mountainous regions on Thursday and Friday. Central and southern areas might encounter scattered showers or thunderstorms on Saturday, while eastern and southeastern regions could see localized brief showers or thunderstorms. Other areas are expected to remain mostly cloudy with scattered afternoon thunderstorms.