TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Multiple forecasts are predicting Typhoon Saola will come closest to Taiwan on Thursday (Aug. 31), when heavy rain is likely for eastern and southern parts of the country.

As of 5 a.m. on Monday (Aug. 28), Saola was 740 km south-southeast of Eluanbi moving east-southeast at 11 kph, according to the Central Weather Bureau (CWB). It had a radius of 190 km and was packing maximum sustained winds of 172 kph, with gusts of up to 208 kph.

Meteorologist Daniel Wu (吳德榮) said Saola has weakened slightly to the upper limit of a moderate typhoon, but will regain strength to become a very strong typhoon. In the waters off the coast of the Philippine island of Luzon, Saola on Monday started to turn north and on Tuesday (Aug. 29), the latest CWB model predicted it would turn northwest and begin to head toward the Bashi Channel.

CWB predicts Saola will come closest to Taiwan on Thursday. (CWB image)

CWB, Japanese, and European modeling show Saola will come closest to Taiwan on Thursday. On Friday (Sept. 1), Saola will enter the Taiwan Strait, but its periphery will continue to impact Taiwan, before making landfall in China's Fujian Province on Saturday (Sept. 2). Wu said that whether or not Saola makes landfall in Taiwan on Thursday, it will be at its peak that day.

Wu added Tropical Storm Damrey will likely veer to the north and not impact Taiwan. However, Tropical Storm Haikui has formed west of Guam and on Friday there is a possibility of the Fujiwara effect, when two typhoons combine into a larger one, but Wu said more observation is needed. 

Wu predicted the weather across the country would be sunny and hot on Monday. However, Wu said that localized thunderstorms in the afternoon are still possible and may extend to the plains.

CWB map of projected paths for Damrey, Haikui, and Saola. (CWB image)

In northern Taiwan on Tuesday, Wu said it would be partly cloudy to sunny with occasional showers. Localized thunderstorms are likely in the afternoon in mountainous areas of central and southern Taiwan.

When Saola nears Taiwan on Wednesday, Wu said there would be significant rainfall in the east and Pingtung County with winds gradually growing in intensity. Western Taiwan will see less rain as the Saola's periphery will be blocked by the central mountain range, while wind and rain will increase in intensity in southern Taiwan over the evening.

The CWB predicts rain across Taiwan on Thursday. On Friday, although Saola will be weakened by Taiwan's terrain, Wu predicted that all parts of the country would feel the impact of the typhoon's periphery and warned the public to exercise caution when venturing out. Wu said on Saturday, there will still be significant rainfall and strong wind gusts in some areas. 

Satellite image of the Western Pacific. (NOAA GIF)