Typhoon warnings lifted but rain persists: CWA

Taipei, Aug. 14 (CNA) The Central Weather Administration (CWA) lifted all sea and land warnings for Typhoon Podul on Thursday after it weakened to a tropical storm and moved inland over China, but some parts of Taiwan may still see heavy rain.

As of 8 a.m., Podul was about 320 kilometers west of Kinmen, moving west-northwest at a speed of 31 kilometers per hour (kph), with maximum sustained winds of 72 kph and gusts up to 101 kph, according to CWA data.

CWA weather forecaster Liu Yu-chi (劉宇其) said Podul had weakened over the past three hours, with its storm circle slightly shrinking. No longer posing a threat to the Taiwan Strait, the system had moved inland over Guangdong, China, and was gradually weakening into a tropical depression, Liu said.

Given these conditions, the CWA lifted the sea warning at 8:30 a.m., following the lifting of the land warning earlier in the morning, he said.

Podul formed over waters near Guam on Aug. 8. The CWA issued a sea warning Tuesday morning and a land warning later that afternoon. The storm made landfall in Taitung County's Taimali Township at around 1 p.m. Wednesday before exiting Taiwan from Tainan's Cigu District at around 4 p.m.

Lanyu (Orchid Island) and Green Island recorded Beaufort scale 17 gusts (202-220 kph), while Mt. Dahan in Pingtung County logged the highest cumulative rainfall at 656 millimeters.

It was followed by 388.5 mm in Fengnan, Hualien County, and 360.5 mm along the Lijia Forest Road in Taitung County, CWA statistics showed.

Although Podul was moving away, Liu said its outer band and abundant moisture, combined with easterly winds, would still bring heavy rain to eastern Taiwan and Pingtung on Thursday.

According to the CWA forecast, eastern Taiwan, the Hengchun Peninsula, and the north coast of Keelung will see occasional localized showers Thursday, while other regions will be mostly cloudy to sunny.

In the afternoon, areas south of Hsinchu may experience brief localized thunderstorms with the potential for heavy rain, Liu said.

Temperatures nationwide will range between 31 and 35 degrees Celsius Thursday, with parts of the south possibly exceeding 36 degrees, Liu said.

On Friday and Saturday, brief showers are expected in the east, with afternoon thunderstorms likely in areas south of Miaoli.

On Sunday and Monday, a low-pressure system over the South China Sea and waters east of the Philippines is forecast to approach Taiwan, bringing unstable weather, Liu said.

Eastern and southern Taiwan will be prone to brief showers, while northern and central Taiwan and Yilan will see afternoon thunderstorms, he said.