TAIPEI (TVBS News) — Taiwan's weather agency expects to lift the sea warning for Typhoon Saudel around 2:30 p.m. Friday (Aug. 28) after the storm made landfall in China's Zhejiang Province. Forecasters warn, however, that a broad low-pressure belt will keep weather unstable across the island through at least early September.
The Central Weather Administration (中央氣象署) said the Category 1 typhoon, known internationally as Saudel (沙德爾), landed near Wenzhou (溫州) at approximately 8 a.m. and was located about 200 kilometers (124 miles) north-northeast of Matsu (馬祖) as of 11 a.m. The storm's radius had shrunk to 120 kilometers (75 miles), down from 150 kilometers earlier in the morning.
"Even after Typhoon Saudel leaves Taiwan today, Taiwan will still remain within a low-pressure belt," CWA forecaster Lin Po-tung (林伯東) said during a noon briefing. He noted that tropical cloud systems stretching from the Philippines to the South China Sea remained highly active.
The agency's seven-day outlook calls for unstable conditions through Sept. 3. From Saturday through Tuesday (Sept. 1), the low-pressure belt will bring intermittent showers and afternoon thunderstorms, with localized heavy rain possible in southern Taiwan and mountain regions.
"Based on the latest meteorological data, we expect a low-pressure system may develop within the cloud clusters to the east," Lin said. "Once it forms, it could bring northeasterly winds to Taiwan, creating a weather pattern quite different from the strong southwesterly winds we've seen these past few days."
Private weather consultancy WeatherRisk (天氣風險) said the rainy pattern could persist into early September, with stable conditions unlikely until mid-September.
Heavy rainfall continued to pound central and southern Taiwan on Friday morning. The CWA reported that Dahanshan (大漢山) in Pingtung County had recorded 324 millimeters (12.8 inches) of accumulated rainfall since midnight Thursday, while Duona Forest Road (多納林道) in Kaohsiung logged 251.5 millimeters (9.9 inches).
Torrential rain warnings remained in effect for Kaohsiung's mountain areas and Pingtung County, with heavy rain alerts covering Tainan, Taichung, Nantou and the Yunlin-Chiayi mountain areas. The agency warned of potential landslides and flash flooding due to consecutive days of rainfall.
The heaviest rainfall was expected during the morning hours, with gradual easing in the afternoon. Saturday will bring showers to central and southern Taiwan throughout the day. Sunday's rainfall shifts toward the east and south, with intense afternoon thunderstorms expected in mountain areas south of Hsinchu. By Monday and Tuesday, northern and northeastern regions face the highest rainfall probability as winds turn northerly.
Seas remained rough, with wave heights of 2 to 3 meters (6.5 to 10 feet) at Matsu and elevated swells along the coasts of Taitung, Lanyu (蘭嶼) and Green Island (綠島). Heat advisories remained in effect for Taipei, New Taipei, Yilan, Hualien, Taitung and Kinmen, where temperatures could reach 36°C (96.8°F) around midday.
WeatherRisk urged those with outdoor plans to monitor afternoon conditions and avoid dangerous areas, particularly in mountains. The CWA advised the public to avoid coastal activities and remain alert to weather updates.
"Although the typhoon is gradually moving away, weather across all regions will remain quite unstable due to the influence of the low-pressure belt," Lin said. ◼