Taipei: Tropical Storm Podul is anticipated to escalate into a typhoon by Tuesday morning, as reported by the Central Weather Administration (CWA) on Monday.
According to Focus Taiwan, CWA forecaster Chang Chun-yao shared that the tropical storm was positioned 1,180 kilometers east-southeast of Taipei as of Monday afternoon. Current projections suggest that the storm will be upgraded to a typhoon by Tuesday morning, with its radius also showing signs of expansion.
Chang indicated that a land warning might be issued from midday to afternoon on Tuesday, following a sea warning expected late Monday night or early Tuesday morning. Podul is a quick-moving storm predicted to deliver the heaviest rainfall and strongest winds to Taiwan on Wednesday.
The storm is forecasted to make landfall around Taitung and Hualien counties by midday Wednesday, with northern Taitung being the most probable location. As the storm's radius impacts Taiwan on Wednesday morning, residents in central and southern Taiwan and the eastern half of the island should be vigilant for strong winds and heavy rain.
While northern Taiwan will experience lighter rainfall, strong winds could still pose issues. Southern Taiwan is expected to see the heaviest precipitation from Wednesday afternoon to evening, with areas south of Chiayi County and the eastern half of the island facing extremely heavy rain, defined as 200 millimeters in 24 hours or 100 mm in three hours.
Hualien and Taitung, along with mountainous areas in southern Taiwan, may encounter rainfall surpassing extremely heavy levels, as advised by the CWA. Podul is projected to weaken and revert to a tropical storm classification after traversing Taiwan's Central Mountain Range, prior to reaching China's Fujian Province on Thursday.
Chang also noted that despite weakening, significant moisture will remain in the air on Thursday, resulting in short showers in western Taiwan in the early morning, followed by short thunderstorms in the afternoon. Meanwhile, the eastern half of the island will experience intermittent showers throughout Thursday.