Meteorologist advises public to be more attentive to danger typhoons may bring to island nation later this year

Taiwan News
Date: 2020/08/23
By: George Liao, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — A meteorologist sees the fact that Taiwan has so far been spared typhoons this year as a warning sign and advises the public to be more attentive to the dangers typhoons may bring to the island nation in the weeks and months ahead.

The Central Weather Bureau (CWB) lifted its sea warning for Tropical Storm Bavi less than one day after its issuance on Saturday (Aug. 22), causing heated discussion on social media, with some questioning why typhoons have been avoiding Taiwan this year.

Meteorologist Peng Chi-ming (彭啟明) posted five photos to Facebook Sunday that showed the paths of typhoons that have swept through Taiwan or the neighboring regions from 2016 – 2020. He said that many people have recently asked him why typhoons have spared Taiwan this year, and his answer is that it is a coincidence that cannot be explained by high pressure or topography.

He added that from the standpoint of risk management, "fewer [typhoons] than average" is a warning sign, which implies that more attention should be paid to the risk in the future.
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