According to storm news, the latest low pressure from the Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC), Typhoon Saudel is currently about 152 km north-northwest of Kadena Air Base, Okinawa. The strongest wind near the storm center reaches 155 km/h.
In the past 6 hours, the storm has moved in a West-Northwest direction at a speed of about 15 km/h. The maximum wave height reached about 13.7 m.
In the next 12 hours, Typhoon Saudel is forecast to continue moving in a Northwest direction under the impact of subtropical high pressure in the Northeast. After that, when encountering a weakening zone in the edge of the high pressure, the storm's moving speed will slow down.
In the next 12-24 hours, Typhoon Saudel will shift direction to West-Southwest and continue to head towards the coastal area of China in the following days.
Typhoon Saudel is expected to approach Taiwan (China) closest from the evening of August 27 to 28, bringing localized heavy rain to Northern and Southern Taiwan (China), as well as central mountainous areas.
The Taiwan (China) Central Meteorological Administration said that due to unfavorable atmospheric conditions for development, the storm is continuing to weaken and its radius is shrinking.
Forecast models show that Typhoon Saudel's path is continuously moving northward. Therefore, the typhoon is unlikely to make landfall in mainland Taiwan (China) and reduce rainfall to mainland areas.
Taiwan International Airport (China) Taoyuan said that some airlines have announced the cancellation of flights to Okinawa on August 26.
As of 6 pm on August 25, a total of 16 flights were canceled, including China Airlines' CI121/120 flights between Taoyuan and Naha; EVA Air's BR112/113/185/186 flights between Taoyuan and Naha; and Peach Aviation's MM921/922/924/927/929/930 flights between Taoyuan and Naha.
Starlux Airlines flights JX890/891 between Taoyuan and Miyakojima, Okinawa, and Thai Lion Air flights SL380/381 between Taoyuan and Naha were also canceled.
Mr. Huang said that humidity in Taiwan (China) is expected to decrease today, but the South may still experience localized heavy rain in a short time in the early morning. People across the country are warned to prevent thunderstorms in the afternoon.
From the evening of August 27 to August 28, when storm Saudel is more clearly affected, many areas may experience showers and thunderstorms. The North, South and mountainous areas of the Central region are at risk of localized heavy rain, while other areas are mainly cloudy.
After the storm passes, Taiwan (China) is still forecast to be affected by a large low pressure system throughout the coming week, bringing scattered showers or thunderstorms.
JTWC forecasts that Typhoon Saudel will make landfall in the Wenzhou area, China after more than 2 days. After entering the mainland, the typhoon is forecast to weaken rapidly due to the impact of terrain and is likely to completely dissipate in about 4 days.
People and tourists planning to travel to Taiwan (China) and southeastern China should pay attention to weather developments. Check your flight schedule and follow local instructions to avoid storms affecting your journey.
