Typhoon Podul makes landfall in Taiwan's Taitung County

Taipei, Aug. 13 (CNA) The eye of Typhoon Podul made landfall in Taitung County's Taimali Township in eastern Taiwan about 20 kilometers south-southwest of Taitung City at approximately 1 p.m. Wednesday, according to the Central Weather Administration (CWA).

As of 1 p.m., the typhoon was moving west-northwest at a speed of 29 kilometers per hour (kph), and packing maximum sustained winds of 155 kph, with gusts of up to 191 kph, according to CWA data.

CWA weather forecaster Liu Yu-chi (劉宇其) said the typhoon's storm radius has already enveloped Taitung, Hualien, and Nantou counties, and areas south of Yunlin County, and he warned that the wind and rain will intensify in Taitung, Hualien, Kaohsiung, and Pingtung.

The impact of Podul will be felt most intensely from Wednesday until early Thursday morning, Liu said, with strong gusts appearing along all coastal areas of Taiwan.

Hualien and Taitung counties in eastern Taiwan and the Hengchun Peninsula in the southernmost part of the island were already experiencing stronger winds and heavier rain Wednesday morning.