Typhoon Mawar to bring rain to north, east Taiwan for 5 days

颱風瑪娃將為北臺灣及東部帶來5天的降雨

Taiwan will start to feel Typhoon Mawar's peripheral effects on Monday


TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Meteorologists predict that Typhoon Mawar (瑪娃) will bring rain to north and east Taiwan for at least five days from Monday through Friday (May 29 - June 2).

As of 8 a.m. on Monday (May 29), Typhoon Mawar was about 730 km east-southeast of Eluanbi, moving northwest at a speed of 14 kph. It has a 300 km radius and was packing maximum sustained winds of 162 kph and gusts of up to 198 kph, the Central Weather Bureau (CWB) reported.

The CWB said Taiwan would start to feel the peripheral effects of the typhoon on Monday. It said there could be short-term showers in Greater Taipei, eastern Taiwan, and the Hengchun Peninsula, while the rest of the country will see partly cloudy to sunny skies.


In the afternoon, it forecast localized thunderstorms in mountainous areas of southern Taiwan and other mountainous areas. The CWB issued a yellow alert for maximum daily temperatures of 36 C in Hsinchu County, Miaoli County, Tainan City, and Kaohsiung City.

Meteorologist Daniel Wu (吳德榮) in his daily report said infrared cloud images showed that Mawar's eye wall is no longer clear and also slightly irregular. Wu said Mawar has weakened somewhat in intensity.


Wu said that when Mawar is closest to Taiwan, it will at most maintain the strength of a moderate typhoon. Wu said forecasts from Europe and the U.S. show that the average path of Mawar is gradually approaching the Bashi Channel on Monday, and will slow down and gradually turn north. However, its ultimate path is still uncertain with more observations needed.


Wu said that the latest models show that from Tuesday to Friday, Mawar will churn around in the Bashi Channel and move slowly northward. During this period, Wu forecast local showers in northern and eastern Taiwan as well as in mountainous areas.


He warned that "disastrous" heavy rainfall is possible in mountainous areas of northern and eastern Taiwan. Meanwhile, the weather in central and southern Taiwan will be stable and temperatures will be high.

Wu said that if Mawar takes a more westward path toward Taiwan, the central and southern plains will be affected.


According to Wu, it is estimated that Mawar will weaken on Saturday and Sunday (June 3-4), turn to the northeast, and head toward the vicinity of the Ryukyu Islands. Over the weekend, Wu said that showers are still likely in the north and east, but the precipitation will gradually diminish, while the weather in other areas will improve.

On his Facebook page, WeatherRisk Explore Inc. CEO Peng Chi-ming (彭啟明) on Monday said, "This week will be Mawar week!" Peng predicted that the typhoon will impact Taiwan well into Saturday and said the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) model shows Mawar possibly making landfall in eastern Taiwan. However, he said that more observation will be needed to more accurately predict Mawar's path.


CWB forecaster Chao Hung (趙竑), said that the typhoon is currently turning north. Chao said that if the typhoon takes a northwest turn, there is a chance the CWB would issue a land warning for Mawar.

Chao said the probability of Mawar going northwest is relatively low, and the structure of the typhoon is relatively weak and scattered. Chao said the probability of a land warning is low, so schools and offices will likely not be closed due to the typhoon.