TAIPEI (Taiwan News) -- Tropical Storm Danas has shifted east and no longer poses a direct threat to Taiwan, but a heavy rain alert has been issued for 15 counties and cities as its periphery lashes the country, while its evil "twin" lurks to the west of the Philippines, likely bringing rain tonight (July 18) and Friday (July 19).
The Central Weather Bureau (CWB) said today that Tropical Storm Danas will move northward and gradually away from Taiwan, but it has issued a heavy rain alert for 15 counties and cities in Taiwan due to the effects of the storm's periphery. Meanwhile, a low-pressure system on the west side of Luzon will gradually gain in intensity, likely bringing rain to southern and central Taiwan from tonight until Friday.
As of 8 a.m. today, the CWB said that Tropical Storm Danas had a radius of 150 kilometers and was located 330 kilometers east-northeast of Taiwan's southernmost tip of Eluanbi, and moving north at a speed of 27 kilometers per hour (kph). It was packing maximum sustained winds of 72 kph with gusts of up to 100 kph, the equivalent to level 10 on the Beaufort scale.
CWB map of Danas' path.
By 8 a.m. on Friday, the CWB predicts that Danas will be located at 28.3 degrees north latitude and 124.5 degrees east longitude, which would place it about 470 kilometers northeast of Taipei. The CWB says that Danas has increased in intensity over the past three hours and continues to move northward.
The CWB has issued a heavy rain advisory for New Taipei City, Yilan County, Taoyuan City, Hsinchu County, Miaoli County, Taichung City, Hualien County, Nantou County, and Yunlin County, while it has put forth an extremely heavy rain advisory for Chiayi County, Tainan City, Kaohsiung City, Taitung County, and Pingtung County. As Danas shifted away from Taiwan on Wednesday night, the CWB lifted its land warning at 8:30 p.m., but a sea warning is still in place as of 8:30 a.m. this morning.
The CWB said that since Wednesday, there has been intermittent rainfall in northeastern and northern Taiwan due to the effects of the typhoon's peripheral circulation, which will gradually expand this morning. In the afternoon, under the dual influence of the tropical storm's periphery and thermal effect, eastern and southern Taiwan, as well as mountainous areas in central and northern Taiwan could experience localized heavy rain, especially areas south of Chiayi and Orchid Island.
In addition, the CWB pointed out that the low-pressure system on the west side of Luzon Island has intensified in strength, and will gradually approach the waters off of Taiwan. From this evening until Friday, Danas' "twin" will likely bring rain to southern and central Taiwan, depending on its development and path.
NOAA animated GIF of Western Pacific.