Strong winds, high waves in east Malaysia due to Tropical Storm Kai-Tak

PETALING JAYA: East Malaysian states will experience strong winds of up to 40kph to 50kph and waves up to 3.5m, the Malaysian Meteorological Department said today.
The situation is prompted by the present movement of Tropical Storm Kai-Tak which hit parts of the eastern Philippines and killed at least 41 people over the past four days.
The department noted at 9am on its website that the phenomenon may affect the interior and west coast of Sabah which included Kudat, Sarawak, and Labuan.
Meteorological Department director-general Alui Bahari said in a statement today that it was too soon to tell if the east coast of Peninsular Malaysia and Sabah will be badly hit later this week as forecasts cannot be formulated earlier than three days ahead.
"This possibility is still closely monitored as the forecasts of the movement and intensity of a tropical cyclone constantly varies," he said.
He also clarified that the low pressure system in the Western Pacific Ocean which was said to hit Sabah on Dec 22 to 24 has not reached hurricane status.
"Therefore, the direction of its movement has yet to be ascertained," he said.
He urged those concerned about tropical cyclones in the region, including Kai-Tak, to constantly check for new updates on its website or its MyCuaca mobile application where new observations will be posted every three hours.