Tropical Storm Kalmaegi poised to strike Philippines, bring rain to Taiwan

熱帶風暴海鷗逐漸向菲律賓靠近，為台灣帶來降雨

Tropical Storm Kalmaegi likely to strike Philippines, dump rain on Taiwan by weekend

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — A tropical depression to the east of the Philippines has strengthened into Tropical Storm Kalmaegi ("Ramon" in the Philippines), is likely to strike the northern Philippines over the weekend, and could bring rain to Taiwan by Monday (Nov. 18).

At 8 a.m. this morning (Nov. 13), Tropical Storm Kalmaegi (海鷗) formed, making it the 26th tropical storm of the year, according to the Central Weather Bureau (CWB). At that time, the CWB said that Kalmaegi was 3,740 kilometers east of Eluanbi, Taiwan's southernmost tip, moving west-northwest at 17 kilometers per hour (kph) and packing maximum sustained winds of 64 kph with gusts of up to 90 kph.

CWB forecaster Lin Ding-yi (林定宜) said that due to the addition of a new northeast monsoon next week, Kalmaegi is likely to strike the northern Philippine island of Luzon on Sunday (Nov. 17) before heading out to the South China Sea. Lin said that Kalmaegi is likely to come closest to Taiwan on Sunday, when the probability of rain could increase.

CWB map of predicted paths of Kalmaegi (left) and Fengshen (right).

By Monday, lingering moisture from the remnants of the storm combined with the new northeast monsoon is likely to bring precipitation to northern and eastern Taiwan. Meanwhile, Tropical Storm Fengshen (風神) formed on Tuesday (Nov. 12), but Taiwan's forecasters do not believe the storm will have any impact on Taiwan as it has shifted eastward to the middle of the Western Pacific Ocean, far from any landmasses.

Japan Meteorological Agency map of Kalmaegi's projected path.

NOAA animated GIF of Western Pacific.