Storm moves toward Taiwan, China next

TAIPEI, July 15 (Reuters) - A storm system south of Taiwan is expected to intensify and to hit Taiwan within the next day, becoming the island's first major storm of the year, the local weather bureau said on Tuesday. The weather system was still a tropical depression off the northern Philippines, storm-tracker Tropical Storm Risk said on its web site www.tropicalstormrisk.com. But Taiwan's Central Weather Bureau said on its website www.cwb.gov.tw the storm would strengthen into a typhoon named Kalmaegi and was set to reach Taiwan as early as Wednesday. The storm, presently with sustained winds of 65 kph (40 mph) and gusts of 90 kph, is expected to reach southeast China by the weekend, the bureau said. Typhoons regularly hit China, Taiwan, the Philippines and Japan from August until the end of the year, gathering strength... [read full story]