Taipei: Danas weakened from a typhoon to a tropical storm after making landfall in Chiayi County late Sunday night, and its eye exited Taiwan early Monday morning near the border of Taoyuan and Hsinchu, according to the Central Weather Administration (CWA).
According to Focus Taiwan, CWA forecaster Wu Wan-hua stated that Danas was downgraded to a tropical storm at around 5 a.m. as its outer band began to shrink. As of 9 a.m., Danas was 70 kilometers north-northwest of Taipei, moving northwest at 10-16 kph, with maximum sustained winds of 90 kph and gusts up to 119 kph.
Wu mentioned that Danas is expected to continue weakening, but its broad radius will still affect Taiwan. A land warning issued Saturday night remains in effect for Keelung, Taipei, New Taipei, Taoyuan, Hsinchu, and Miaoli counties in the north, and Yilan County in the east. Additionally, a sea warning issued Saturday morning remains in effect for waters off northern and northeastern Taiwan and north of the Taiwan Strait.
The land warning is likely to be lifted on Monday afternoon, while the sea warning could be removed by late evening. However, the storm continues to bring moisture to Taiwan, with rain persisting in mountainous areas of the central and southern regions. Mountainous parts of Kaohsiung and Pingtung may experience localized extremely heavy or even torrential rain, while Miaoli and areas to its south could receive heavy to extremely heavy rain. Localized heavy rain is also expected Monday in Hsinchu, northern Taiwan, eastern Taiwan, and the outlying Penghu islands.
As of 8:30 a.m., Pingtung's Majia Township had recorded 288 millimeters of rain, while Kaohsiung's Sinsing District reported 214.5 millimeters, according to the CWA. Wu also noted that the storm's outer bands could cause hot, dry winds in Taitung, pushing daytime temperatures above 36 degrees Celsius on Monday.
Finally, Wu said that after leaving Taiwan, Danas is expected to move westward and make landfall in China.