The latest typhoon information from the CWA said that Typhoon Podul has an average intensity, with gusts of up to 155 km/h, heading towards Taitung City in the southeast of the island. Typhoon Podul is forecast to strengthen and make landfall near Taitung on August 13.
Podul, which means "leafy tree" in Korean. According to the CWA, the storm is 730km southeast of Taitung City, with maximum sustained winds of 119km/h.
In Hoa Lien district, east of the island, nearly 700 people were evacuated from their homes to guard against the risk of water overflowing the embankment in a natural dam formed after a landslide caused by a typhoon last month.
The impact of Typhoon Podul is forecast to bring up to 600mm of rainfall to mountainous areas south of the island in the next few days.
According to the latest typhoon information from the US Navy's Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JWTC), Typhoon Podul is expected to cross the southeastern coast, but the typhoon's exact path could become "unusual" before making landfall as the system interacts with the mountain ranges on the island. "Unusual paths may occur right before making landfall," JTWC forecasters noted.
Taiwan (China) is regularly hit by typhoons, mainly along the east coast, where there are many mountains and sparsely populated areas. The east coast of Taiwan (China) has caused many typhoons to lose direction.
According to JTWC forecasters, warming sea surface temperatures will also increase Podul to a maximum intensity of 157 km/h, equivalent to a Category 2 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson hurricane scale of five.
Typhoon Podul is expected to move across Taiwan and reappear in the cooler waters of the Taiwan Strait, weakening the system before making a second landfall in mainland China.
According to the China Meteorological Administration, Typhoon Podul is expected to bring heavy rain to many areas of China from August 13, including Fujian and Guangdong provinces.
The Hong Kong (China) Weather Forecast Agency said that when Typhoon Podul makes landfall in the area from Guangdong to Fujian province on August 14, the storm's rain will be "quite close" to the coast of Guangdong, causing showers and thunderstorms.
"Shows and thunderstorms related to Podul will affect coastal areas of Guangdong on August 14 and 15" - the bulletin stated.
Meanwhile, a wide low pressure trough is expected to form in the central East Sea area from late next week to early next week and will move north, affecting the weather in southern China.
