The Central Weather Administration (CWA) lifted all sea and land warnings for Typhoon Podul yesterday after it weakened to a tropical storm and moved inland over China, but some parts of Taiwan may still see heavy rain.
As of 8am, Podul was about 320 kilometers west of Kinmen, moving west-northwest at a speed of 31 kilometers per hour (kph), with maximum sustained winds of 72kph and gusts up to 101kph, according to CWA data.
CWA weather forecaster Liu Yu-chi (劉宇其) said Podul had weakened over the past three hours, with its storm circle slightly shrinking. No longer posing a threat to the Taiwan Strait, the system had moved inland over Guangdong, China, and was gradually weakening into a tropical depression, Liu said.
Photo courtesy of the Central Weather Administration
Given these conditions, the CWA lifted the sea warning at 8:30am, following the lifting of the land warning earlier in the morning, he said.
Podul formed over waters near Guam last Friday. The CWA issued a sea warning Tuesday morning and a land warning later that afternoon. The storm made landfall in Taitung County's Taimali Township at around 1pm yesterday before exiting Taiwan from Tainan's Cigu District at around 4pm.
Lanyu (Orchid Island) and Green Island recorded Beaufort scale 17 gusts (202-220 kph), while Mt. Dahan in Pingtung County logged the highest cumulative rainfall at 656 millimeters.
It was followed by 388.5mm in Fengnan, Hualien County, and 360.5mm along the Lijia Forest Road in Taitung County, CWA statistics showed.
Although Podul was moving away, Liu said its outer band and abundant moisture, combined with easterly winds, would still bring heavy rain to eastern Taiwan and Pingtung today.
According to the CWA forecast, eastern Taiwan, the Hengchun Peninsula and the north coast of Keelung are expected to see occasional localized showers today, while other regions are forecast to be mostly cloudy to sunny.
In the afternoon, areas south of Hsinchu may experience brief localized thunderstorms with the potential for heavy rain, Liu said.
Temperatures nationwide are expected to range between 31 and 35°C today, with parts of the south possibly exceeding 36°C, Liu said.
Tomorrow and Saturday, brief showers are expected in the east, with afternoon thunderstorms likely in areas south of Miaoli.
On Sunday and Monday, a low-pressure system over the South China Sea and waters east of the Philippines is forecast to approach Taiwan, bringing unstable weather, Liu said.
Eastern and southern Taiwan are to be prone to brief showers, while northern and central Taiwan and Yilan would see afternoon thunderstorms, he said.
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