Typhoon Podul leaves Taiwan Wednesday afternoon

Taipei, Aug. 13 (CNA) The Central Weather Administration (CWA) said that Typhoon Podul left Taiwan from Tainan's Cigu District at around 4 p.m. Wednesday, moving across southern Taiwan in just three hours.

As of 4 p.m., the typhoon was moving west-northwest at a speed of 27 kilometers per hour (kph), and packing maximum sustained winds of 155 kph, with gusts of up to 191 kph, according to CWA data.

● Typhoon Podul bringing destructive winds to southern Taiwan: CWA

According to current projections, the land and sea warnings may be lifted early Thursday morning at the earliest, said CWA weather forecaster Liu Yu-chi (劉宇其).

As the typhoon shifted slightly southward near Taiwan, it avoided direct contact with the Central Mountain Range, experiencing only minor geographical impact which allowed it to maintain speed and pass quickly, Liu said.

However, the typhoon's storm circle will still affect Taiwan, with torrential rain warnings issued by the CWA for Hualien County, Taitung County, Hengchun Peninsula and mountainous regions in Kaohsiung and Pingtung County, which signal rainfall exceeding 350 millimeters in 24 hours or 200 mm in three hours.

Extremely heavy rain advisories warning of accumulated rain exceeding 200 mm in 24 hours or over 100 mm in three hours were issued for Tainan, Kaohsiung, Chiayi County, Pingtung County, mountainous regions in Yilan County, and outlying Green Island and Orchid Island.

Heavy rain advisories have been issued for Taichung, Chiayi City, Changhua County, Nantou County, Yunlin County, Yilan County, outlying Penghu County, and mountainous regions in Taipei, New Taipei, Taoyuan, Hsinchu County, and Miaoli County.

A heavy rain advisory indicates that rainfall is forecast to exceed 80 mm in 24 hours or over 40 mm in one hour.

The rain warnings are in effect through early Thursday morning.