TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — A short-lived tropical storm is expected to form on Friday (May 31) and may merge with a plum rain front to bring precipitation across Taiwan over the weekend. 

On his Facebook page, meteorologist Lin Te-en (林得恩) said a plum rain front is gradually approaching the northern waters of Taiwan, and southwestern winds are strengthening, bringing more atmospheric moisture. As a result, the west and northeast could experience showers and even thunderstorms, while localized thunderstorms are possible in the east on Friday.

On Saturday and Sunday (June 1-2) temperatures will cool down in the north and northeast. The west and northeast will experience intermittent showers or thunderstorms, and the east and southeast will also have localized showers or thunderstorms. There is also a chance of localized heavy rain across the country.

Lin said Tropical Depression TD02 could potentially strengthen into Tropical Storm Maliksi as early as Friday. However, Lin predicted its intensity would quickly weaken after it moved north and reached China.

Lin said Maliksi would not only strengthen southwestern winds, but also leave behind moisture that may merge with the plum rain front in Taiwan, leading to more precipitation over the weekend. 

Lin advised more monitoring and tracking are still necessary.