Monday, June 18, 2012

Typhoon Guchol could trigger torrential rainfall

Asia One via the China Post (Taiwan): The Central Weather Bureau (CWB) announced yesterday that although Typhoon Guchol has changed course and will not hit Taiwan directly, it might still affect the nation with heavy downpours beginning June 19-22.

According to the CWB, the storm was centered at 900 km southeast of Taiwan's southernmost tip as of yesterday morning, traveling at a speed of 24 km per hour toward the north of Taiwan. The southwesterly air currents caused by the storm will trigger torrential rains in Central and Southern Taiwan, the bureau said. They also cautioned the public to take precautions over the next two days to avoid flood damage.

A new low pressure system that formed around Hainan Island, and was located about 1,000 km from Taiwan as of yesterday, may quickly evolve into a new typhoon, according to the bureau.

Despite the upcoming storm, skies cleared up yesterday, after one week of ceaseless rain. In a weather forecast report, the bureau mentioned that with the front moving away, weather was likely to become more stabilized on Sunday. It also predicted that temperature will slightly rise in all parts of Taiwan, ranging from 30 to 33 degrees Celsius.

Following the torrential rainfall in the previous week, Kaohsiung City evacuated numerous citizens from dangerous spots, especially mountainous areas that could easily lead to landslides. In an interview yesterday at the opening of the Yancheng Social Welfare Building of the Kaohsiung City Government, Mayor of Kaohsiung City Chen Chu (??) explained that although the skies have cleared from the previous storm, they will continue to evacuate inhabitants from landslide-prone areas to safety, in preparation for the heavy downpour in the upcoming days....

Typhoon Guchol on June 16, 2012, from NASA

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