TAIPEI (TVBS News) — Typhoon Matmo (麥德姆) formed Thursday (Oct. 2) from Tropical Depression 24 east of the Philippines, threatening to disrupt Taiwan's Moon Festival (中秋節), the traditional mid-autumn holiday, weekend weather. The storm will track through the Philippines toward the South China Sea, potentially affecting southeastern Taiwan and the Hengchun Peninsula, Taiwan's southernmost region, Friday through Saturday.
Chia Hin-hsing (賈新興), director at Taiwan Integrated Disaster Mitigation Engineering Consultant Co. (台灣整合防災工程技術顧問有限公司), a weather forecasting firm, predicts Matmo will strike Luzon Friday before bringing brief rainfall to Eluanbi, Taiwan's southernmost point, and scattered afternoon showers to Hualien and Taitung counties on Taiwan's eastern coast. Saturday conditions worsen with localized rain from Taitung to the Hengchun Peninsula.
LookWeather (觀氣象看天氣), a Taiwan meteorological service, warns another tropical system may develop in the northwest Pacific within 3-5 days, potentially affecting operations through Wednesday. Sunday brings scattered mountain showers to southern Hsinchu and the Yilan-Hualien range. The Moon Festival could see brief showers south of Miaoli County and in Yihua.
Chia cautioned that weather forecasts beyond five days carry significant uncertainty, emphasizing continuous monitoring remains essential for accurate predictions. Pacific high pressure systems maintain strength through Monday (Oct. 6), with a weak northeast monsoon potentially arriving Tuesday to alter regional weather patterns. ◼