Typhoon weakens, but will still bring heavy rain to Taiwan: CWA

Taipei, Aug. 28 (CNA) Typhoon Saudel weakened into a tropical storm at 5 a.m. Friday, but it is still expected to bring heavy to extremely heavy rain to southern Taiwan, according to the Central Weather Administration (CWA).

The CWA maintained the sea warning for the storm it issued Thursday, saying the system continues to pose a threat to waters north of Taiwan, particularly near the outlying Matsu Islands.

The warning is expected to be lifted as early as this afternoon, the CWA said.

As of 8 a.m. Friday, the tropical storm was located about 250 kilometers north-northeast of Matsu and moving west-southwest at 29 kilometers per hour before slowing down to 17 kph as it moved over China, CWA data showed.

The system's radius had shrunk to 150 kilometers, with maximum sustained winds of 108 kph and gusts of up to 137 kph, according to the CWA.

The CWA said the tropical storm is expected to continue weakening, with both its intensity and storm radius decreasing, but central and southern Taiwan can still expect brief showers or thunderstorms under the influence of the storm's outer bands and southwesterly winds.

Areas from Chiayi County southward could experience localized heavy rain and short-duration downpours, according to the weather agency.

The CWA issued heavy rain advisories for Chiayi County, Tainan and Kaohsiung and an extremely heavy rain advisory for Pingtung County.

Mountainous areas in central Taiwan could see localized heavy rain, accompanied by thunderstorms and strong wind gusts, while mountainous regions in northern and eastern Taiwan are expected to experience scattered showers Friday, the CWA forecast.

The CWA warned residents in mountainous areas to watch for landslides, rockfalls and rapidly rising river levels, while those in low-lying areas should remain alert for flooding.

Daytime highs in northern and eastern Taiwan are expected to range between 33 and 36 degrees Celsius on Friday, while the highs in central and southern Taiwan should fall between 29 and 32 degrees.