Taipei - Typhoon Saola has been downgraded to a tropical storm Thursday afternoon as its second landfall in northeastern Taiwan has caused damage to its structure, the Central Weather Bureau said.

As of 3 p.m., Saola was centered 50 kilometers east of Taipei, moving at 12 km per hour in a north-northwesterly direction.

It was packing sustained winds of 108 kph, with gusts reaching 137 kph, the bureau said.

The storm has weakened after making a second landfall at Cape Santiago at 2:30 p.m., but its outer bands remained intact and could still bring extreme rainfall to Taiwan, according to forecasters.

Residents in the coastal areas along western Taiwan should remain on high alert since Saola is moving slightly faster than it was and is therefore likely to create strong northwestern winds after it approaches the waters north of Taiwan at about 8 p.m. Thursday, the bureau said.

Higher waves coupled with a high tide at that time could make it difficult for floodwaters to drain away, the bureau said.

Bureau forecasters also said mountainous areas in central Taiwan could see up to 800 millimeters of accumulated precipitation between 8 p.m. Thursday and 8 p.m. Friday.

Meanwhile, Guoshing Township in central Taiwan's Nantou Township has been the hardest-hit area of the country, recording 709 mm of rain between midnight and 4 p.m. Thursday.

Earth Changes Media


Mitch Battros | 



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