CWA to issue sea, land warning for Typhoon Bavi

Taipei, July 9 (CNA) The Central Weather Administration (CWA) said it expects to issue a sea warning for Typhoon Bavi at 2:30 p.m. Thursday, and a land warning early Friday, once the storm maintains its current track and forward speed.

As of 8 a.m. Thursday, Bavi was centered about 995 kilometers east-southeast of Taiwan, moving northwest at 13 kph, according to CWA data.

The typhoon was packing maximum sustained winds of 184 kph, with gusts of up to 227 kph, CWA data showed.

On its current path, the storm is likely to pass close to the north coast of Taiwan, with the greatest impact expected Friday night through to Saturday, according to CWA forecaster Lin Po-dong (林伯東).

By the time the storm reaches Taiwan's north coast, it may have weakened slightly and shrunk in size, he said.

The CWA is preparing to issue a sea warning for the typhoon at 2:30 p.m. Thursday, followed by a land warning early Friday morning, once Bavi stays on its current track, he said.

Lin warned of sustained winds of 62-102 kilometers per hour across coastal areas of Taiwan on Friday as the storm approaches.

Later in the day through Saturday, the wind in those areas is expected to increase to 89-117 kph, while Yilan County, areas north of Taoyuan, and the outlying islands of Matsu, Lanyu (Orchid Island) and Ludao (Green Island) could experience gusts of up to 133 kph, he said.

Northern Taiwan can also expect heavy to torrential rain on Friday, which will spread to the rest of the country by Saturday, with extremely torrential rain possible in northern regions and in mountainous areas in central and eastern Taiwan, Lin said.

The rain is expected to gradually ease Saturday evening, and the winds are likely to weaken by Saturday night, he said.

Meanwhile, high seas are expected on the eastern and northern coasts of Taiwan, Lin said, warning of waves of 6 meters on those coastlines and 2-4 meters in other coastal areas on Saturday.

On Thursday, waves of of up to 5.5 meters were already battering the east coast in Taitung County, according to Lin.