Sea warning for Typhoon Dolphin likely to be lifted early Monday: CWA

Taipei, Aug. 9 (CNA) The sea warning for Typhoon Dolphin is likely to be lifted early Monday as it weakens into a tropical storm and moves northwestward toward China's Zhejiang Province, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said Sunday.

As of 5 p.m. Sunday, Dolphin was located about 260 kilometers north-northeast of Matsu and moving west-northwest at 17 km per hour, the CWA said. It had maximum sustained winds of 108 kph, with a radius of 200 km, and continued to pose a threat in waters off northern Taiwan.

CWA forecaster Chu Mei-lin (朱美霖) said the storm's outer circulation was gradually moving away from northern Taiwan, although Matsu would continue to experience strong winds and rain overnight.

Due to the anticipated impact of the tropical storm, the Maritime and Port Bureau announced that 72 sailings on eight routes, including the Keelung-Matsu route, will be suspended Monday.

Meanwhile, rainfall has eased in areas north of central Taiwan, but some central and southern areas could see localized heavy rain from Sunday night into Monday as moisture carried by southwesterly winds moves in.

Chu said cumulative rainfall in mountainous areas of Taipei and Taichung had approached 300 millimeters by 5 p.m., while around 200 mm had been recorded in mountainous areas of Hsinchu and Miaoli.

The storm brought strong winds and heavy rain to northern Taiwan, causing scattered damage. Taipei had reported 261 incidents as of 4:30 p.m., mainly fallen trees, minor damage to structures and damage to power and traffic infrastructure. Six people were injured.

New Taipei and Taoyuan also reported scattered incidents, including fallen trees, flooding and minor structural damage, but no major incidents were reported.

Meanwhile, the CWA said Tropical Storm Peilou formed north of Guam on Sunday afternoon. It is forecast to move eastward and then northeastward and poses no threat to Taiwan.