TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Despite earlier fears Tropical Storm Nalgae might hit Taiwan, the Central Weather Bureau on Saturday (Oct. 29) predicted it would head west from the Philippines in the direction of southern China, though heavy rain was still predicted.

The storm was battering the southern Philippines Saturday, leaving dozens of people dead or missing in landslides and flash floods. Initial predictions had the storm veer sharply north after passing the Philippines, and heading straight for Taiwan from Monday (Oct. 31).

However, the latest forecast from the Central Weather Bureau saw Nalgae move on a course further west, reducing the likelihood of Taiwan issuing sea and land warnings, the Liberty Times reported. According to the latest map, from Nov. 1, the storm would shift away in the direction of south China’s Guangdong, reaching waters near Hainan on Nov. 3.

Nevertheless, weather experts still warned that Nalgae would bring considerable amounts of rainfall to large parts of Taiwan, especially Monday, in combination with northeasterly winds. For the weekend, the Central Weather Bureau predicted torrential rain in the mountains of Yilan County, and heavy rain in mountainous parts of Taipei City, and in New Taipei City, Yilan County, and Hualien County.