Taiwan's Central Weather Administration (CWA) issued a sea warning for Typhoon Saudel on Aug. 27 as the storm passed north of Taiwan toward eastern China, making landfall in Zhejiang the next morning. Its outer circulation, southwesterly winds and other factors flooded parts of Kaohsiung and Pingtung on Aug. 28, and the agency lifted the warning that afternoon, PTS reported.
How close did the storm come? Saudel was about 520 kilometres northeast of Taipei at 8am on Aug. 27, the CWA said, and its storm circle was forecast to skirt waters north of Matsu the following day. Its track had shifted north of earlier forecasts, reducing its effect on the Donggang-Siaoliouciou ferry route, PTS reported. The CWA said a land warning for Matsu was unlikely because the system would weaken and its radius shrink once over the Chinese mainland, and Saudel weakened into a tropical storm early on Aug. 28.
Where did it come ashore? The centre made landfall at about 8:05am on Aug. 28 in Kanmen subdistrict of Yuhuan, in Zhejiang's Taizhou, then came ashore again around 9:10am in Wenzhou's Longwan district, CNA reported. It was the third typhoon to make landfall at Yuhuan in just over a month. China's weather authority moved to a level-two emergency response.
What happened in southern Taiwan? Parts of Kaohsiung's Daliao, Siaogang and Linyuan districts flooded on the morning of Aug. 28, and Jhaoming Elementary School in Daliao cancelled a scheduled return-to-school day after surrounding roads flooded, PTS reported. In Pingtung, water rose above calf height in Sinyuan township and a rescue boat was sent to Chaozhou. In Nanzhou township floodwater reached thigh height, which a township council deputy speaker said was likely caused by a nearby creek swollen by the rain meeting a high tide. A Nanzhou resident said it was the third flood this year. Pingtung's Dahanshan, where the CWA recorded 330 millimetres of rain from Aug. 27 to 2pm on Aug. 28, had the highest two-day total in Taiwan.
What comes next? Taiwan would remain in a low-pressure zone in the coming days, with southwesterly winds likely to bring significant rain to central and southern areas, the agency said. Weather experts said the monsoon trough over the northwestern Pacific was very active and more typhoons were expected to form, with rain in the south possibly lasting until Sept. 6. A disaster-prevention consultant said people in Tainan, Kaohsiung and Pingtung might have to endure around a week to 10 days of continuous rain.
