The recent trend of clear skies might make some skeptical that a typhoon is on the way, but Typhoon Chanthu is brewing out in the Pacific Ocean and heading towards Taiwan.
Meteorologist Wang Chun-hsien says that the typhoon is continuing to build strength and is likely to become a mid- to high-intensity typhoon by the time it hits Taiwan. Meanwhile, Central Weather Bureau Director Cheng Ming-tien says that Typhoon Chanthu has developed "explosively", and must be handled with caution.
Wang predicts that the Central Weather Bureau will issue a sea warning for Chanthu sometime between Thursday evening and Friday morning. The typhoon will come closest to Taiwan between Saturday and Monday. Wang says Chanthu is still unpredictable, so it's unclear whether the Central Weather Bureau will need to issue a land warning as well.
There are a number of projected paths the storm could take. According to the European weather forecast, Chanthu may move up through southern Taiwan then head across the Taiwan Strait to China. Japanese projections, meanwhile, show the storm hitting Taiwan from the north before moving on to China. And the National Weather Service in the US says that Chanthu will come from Taiwan's south and completely envelop the country as it moves up towards Japan. Whatever path the storm takes, though, it is unlikely to miss Taiwan.
The Central Weather Bureau says it's still too early to accurately predict the typhoon's movements, but it will keep the public updated with any new developments.