The Central Weather Bureau says that a low pressure system in the North Pacific has developed into a tropical storm – the first of the season.
Forecasters say Tropical Storm Nepartak formed at 8am on Sunday and is increasing in intensity. It is expected to come closest to Taiwan on Thursday.
Meteorologists say the storm is still about 3,000 km away from the southernmost tip of Taiwan. They say it’s likely to head towards Taiwan before turning northward off the northeast coast. At the moment, forecasters are not projecting that the typhoon will make landfall in Taiwan. However, they are still monitoring its progress for any changes in intensity or direction.
The weather bureau says that this is the latest date that the typhoon season has begun in Taiwan since 1998. Forecasters said last month that a strong El Niño effect this year is creating conditions that are not favorable to typhoons. They predicted that it would be July by the time the first tropical storm would form.