Weather bureau issues sea warning for tropical storm

The Central Weather Bureau (CWB) has issued a sea warning for a tropical storm located southeast of Taiwan on Wednesday, forecasting heavy rainfall in eastern Taiwan.

As of 5 p.m., the storm was centered 460 kilometers southeast off Eluanbi, the southernmost tip of Taiwan.

It was moving at a speed of 24 km per hour in a west-northwesterly direction and is expected to pass through the Bashi Channel Thursday.

With a radius of 120 kilometers, the storm has a maximum sustained wind of about 65 km per hour, with gusts of up to 90 kph, the bureau's data showed.

Residents in eastern Taiwan could see torrential rainfall late on Wednesday, while there might also be heavy rainfall in southern parts of the country starting on Thursday morning, forecasters said.

Northern Taiwan could see showers on Thursday brought by the outer rim of the storm, the bureau said, adding that the sea warning could be lifted late on Thursday.

The storm remains nameless because it has been recognized as a tropical storm by Taiwan rather than the World Meteorological Organization which gives storms their official names, the bureau explained, adding that the last time such a situation occurred was 2001.

Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel