Dolphin to move closest to Taiwan Saturday night or Sunday: CWA

Taipei, Aug. 8 (CNA) Typhoon Dolphin is expected to move closest to Taiwan Saturday night or Sunday, according to the Central Weather Administration (CWA).

As of 8 a.m. Saturday, the center of Dolphin was located about 510 kilometers east-northeast of Taipei and was moving west-northwest at 10-14 kilometers per hour, with maximum sustained winds of 126 kph, according to the CWA.

Speaking with reporters, CWA senior weather specialist Wu Wan-hua (伍婉華) said the storm was moving closer to waters north of Taiwan, but its strength had shown signs of weakening.

With Dolphin approaching Taiwan, Wu said its outer bands were expected to bring heavy rain to northern Taiwan first, with precipitation forecast to spread to other parts of the country.

Taiwan is expected to experience the heaviest rainfall from Saturday night through Sunday, she said.

A heavy rain alert has taken effect in Keelung City, the North Coast, mountainous areas of Taipei, New Taipei and Taoyuan cities, Hsinchu and Miaoli counties in the north, and mountainous areas of Taichung City in central Taiwan.

The alert indicates that accumulated rainfall is expected to exceed 80 millimeters within 24 hours or 40 mm within one hour.

The CWA also warned of strong winds in northern Taiwan and parts of southern Taiwan, saying average wind speeds could reach 39-49 kph.

The CWA said the storm will continue moving toward China and is likely to make landfall in southeastern China Sunday night or early Monday morning.

Despite the rainfall brought by the storm, Wu said daytime temperatures could top 38 degrees Celsius in Yilan and Hualien counties Saturday due to a foehn wind effect caused by southeasterly winds descending from the mountains.

She said temperatures in Taitung County in the east and Chiayi County and Tainan City in the south could surpass 36 degrees Saturday.

(Bu Yu Hsiao-han and Frances Huang)Enditem