Typhoon Lingling brings rain to SW Taiwan

颱風玲玲為西南台灣帶來雨量

Periphery of Typhoon Lingling bringing rain to SW Taiwan, Faxai expected to become tropical storm


TAIPEI (Taiwan News) -- As the periphery of Typhoon Lingling (玲玲) starts to lash Taiwan, the Central Weather Bureau (CWB) has issued a heavy rain alert for five counties and cities, while a tropical depression is expected to transform into Tropical Storm Faxai (法西) today (Sept. 4).

As of 2 a.m. this morning, Typhoon Lingling, which has been upgraded from a tropical storm on Tuesday (Sept. 3), was located 390 kilometers east of Taiwan's southernmost tip of Eluanbi, moving north-northeast at a speed of 7 kilometers per hour (kph). It had a radius of 150 kilometers and was packing maximum sustained winds of 108 kph with gusts of up to 136 kph.

The CWB said that Typhoon Lingling is expected to move northward and eastward through the waters off the east coast of Taiwan. As Pacific high-pressure forces gradually retreat eastward, Lingling is expected to shift more towards the east, thus reducing the likelihood that the CWB will issue a sea warning.

The weather bureau predicts that Lingling will continue to gradually strengthen in the future, with the size of the storm's radius expected to swell further. If the storm shifts further to the west than expected, its radius could come within 100 kilometers of Taiwan's eastern coast, which would necessitate a sea warning.

Due to the effects of Lingling's periphery, the CWB this morning issued an extremely heavy rain advisory for Tainan City and Kaohsiung City, as well as a heavy rain advisory for Chiayi County, Chiayi City, and Pingtung County. The CWB advised residents of these areas to beware of lightning strikes, strong wind gusts, and flooding in low-lying areas.

CWB forecaster Chang Cheng-chuan (張承傳) said that Taiwan will feel the effects of Lingling's periphery throughout Wednesday, with rain possible across the country. Chang said that rain will likely be particularly heavy in western, northeastern, and eastern Taiwan from Wednesday through Thursday (Sept. 5).

Chang said that as the typhoon shifts to the east, the heavy rains will eventually give way to localized showers and thunderstorms. He predicted that coastal areas of southern and central Taiwan could see heavy rain early Thursday morning.

By Friday (Sept. 6), the typhoon will have shifted away from Taiwan, but the country will still be affected by a low-pressure zone. From Friday through Sunday (Sept. 8), Chang predicted that there will be scattered showers in southern, central, and eastern Taiwan, with afternoon thunderstorms likely in other areas.

Meanwhile, Tropical Storm Kajiki (劍魚, marlin) was downgraded to a tropical depression due to unfavorable conditions on Tuesday evening. However, its residual circulation could still affect Taiwan's weather from Friday to Monday (Sept. 9), bringing localized showers, thunderstorms, and heavy rain.

A tropical depression lurking to the southwest of Wake Island, on the other hand, appears poised to become Tropical Storm Faxai today or Thursday. However, CWB forecaster Cheng Chuan-fang (程川芳) said that Faxai will likely have little impact on Taiwan because its is positioned too far north and is more likely to head toward Japan.

Tropical Storm Risk map showing tropical storm winds over next 48 hours.