By Pacific Island Times News Staff
A Tropical Storm Watch has been issued for Palau, according to Landon Aydlett of the National Weather Service Guam office.
A tropical storm watch means in the next 48 hours we can expect a minimum of 39mph winds, which can damage tarps/canopies, blow down weak tree branches, and pick up loose items around the yard.
Maria Ngemaes, Palau Weather Service Office director, and Waymine Towai, executive director of NEMO, were on a call with the Aydlett at 1 p.m., Palau time, Monday, and said with that determination, Palau is now in Condition of Readiness 3.
Weather and emergency officials encourage Palauans to clear their yards and make preparations just in case the 17W does make its way to Palau as a tropical storm or worse.
Meteorologists have been watching 17W, which was initially called Invest 95W. It was upgraded to a tropical depression last night by the Joint Typhoon Warning Center.
Aydlett said a tropical depression “can still cause damage."
“A lot of the damage we can see is from old tree branches falling on people’s houses and structures, roadways … It’s a good time to do pruning and securing of property,” he said.
Officials said 17W could bring conditions similar to Tropical Storm Banyan which caused some damage to homes and business on October 2022. Officials also warned that mariners want to ensure their boats are secure as drifting anchors is another situation that can occur in tropical storm conditions.
In the FSM, a tropical storm watch is in effect for Yap and Ngulu .
As of 1 p.m, the center of Tropical Depression 17W was located near Latitude 7.1 degrees North and Longitude 138.2 degrees East. 17W is moving west-southwest at 10 mph. It is expected to maintain this general course with a decrease in forward speed through Tuesday.
Maximum sustained winds remain at 30 mph. 17W is forecast to intensify through tonight, possibly becoming a tropical storm.