TAIPEI (TVBS News) — Ａ potential storm is forming east of the Philippines, according to weather models. Meteorologist Lin De-en (林得恩) noted on Monday (Jan. 12) that numerical models from the U.S. and Europe indicate signals of this disturbance forming east of the Philippines around Thursday (Jan. 15). He stated that this could become the first system of its kind in 2026.
Lin emphasized that while storms are rare in January in the northwestern part of the Pacific Ocean or the South China Sea, their occurrence is not unprecedented. Liu Pei-teng (劉沛滕), a forecaster at the Central Weather Administration (CWA, 中央氣象署), pointed out that a low-pressure system may develop east of the Philippines between Friday (Jan. 16) and Saturday (Jan. 17), but its potential to become a depression is still uncertain.
Meteorologist Wu Der-rong (吳德榮) also shared in a blog post that the latest European models indicated a 60% chance of the disturbance developing into a storm, with a path that turns east of the Philippines. Wu added that the impact on Taiwan requires further observation.
Meanwhile, as a cold air mass retreats, Taiwan will enjoy warmer weather until the weekend, according to the CWA. The CWA also highlighted that temperatures will rise during the day, but large temperature differences in the west require caution. The northeast monsoon will bring cooler, wetter weather to the north and east from Saturday.