Taiwan’s Central Weather Bureau (CWB) has issued a sea warning for tropical storm Linfa.
The warning, issued Monday morning, is especially for boats plying near the Bashi Channel and the Pratas Islands.
Linfa is forecast to hit southern Taiwan head-on. The eye of the tropical storm is located about 400 kilometers south-southwest of the southern tip of the island. As of Monday afternoon, it was moving in a north-northeasterly direction at a speed of 6 to 9 kilometers per hour.
CWB forecaster Lo Ya-yin has urged the public to stay alert.
"From today through the 7th and the 8th, the storm will move towards the north and probably the north-northeast to waters off the southern coast," Lo said. "It will later move northwest to Fujian Province, China. The storm will be closest to Taiwan on Tuesday and Wednesday and there will be visible rainfall in southeastern and southwestern Taiwan."
The outer rim of the tropical storm is likely to bring heavy rainfall in Taitung and the Hengchun Peninsula. The CWB has called on the public to avoid seaside activities as the storm approaches.