Meteorologist sees Taiwan being spared typhoons so far this year as warning sign

氣象學家認為，台灣今年到目前為止沒有遭受颱風襲擊，這是一個警訊。

Meteorologist advises public to be more attentive to danger typhoons may bring to island nation later this year


TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — A meteorologist sees the fact that Taiwan has so far been spared typhoons this year as a warning sign and advises the public to be more attentive to the dangers typhoons may bring to the island nation in the weeks and months ahead.

The Central Weather Bureau (CWB) lifted its sea warning for Tropical Storm Bavi less than one day after its issuance on Saturday (Aug. 22), causing heated discussion on social media, with some questioning why typhoons have been avoiding Taiwan this year.

Meteorologist Peng Chi-ming (彭啟明) posted five photos to Facebook Sunday that showed the paths of typhoons that have swept through Taiwan or the neighboring regions from 2016 - 2020. He said that many people have recently asked him why typhoons have spared Taiwan this year, and his answer is that it is a coincidence that cannot be explained by high pressure or topography.

He added that from the standpoint of risk management, "fewer [typhoons] than average" is a warning sign, which implies that more attention should be paid to the risk in the future.

Meanwhile, for the coming days, meteorologist Daniel Wu (吳德榮) predicts that the southwesterly flow ushered in by Tropical Storm Bavi will bring rains to Taiwan from Monday to Friday, with greater intensity of rain from Wednesday on.