TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taiwan issued a land warning Tuesday for Typhoon Podul covering four counties in the south and east, with the storm expected to make landfall in Taitung around noon Wednesday.

The Central Weather Administration said that at 4 p.m. Tuesday, the typhoon was located 530 kilometers east-southeast of Taitung and moving west-northwest before turning northwest at a speed of 29–35 kilometers per hour.

The land warning applies to Taitung, Hualien, Pingtung, and Kaohsiung, with sea warnings in effect for waters east, south, and west of Taiwan. Podul is forecast to cross the island Wednesday afternoon, per CNA.

The typhoon is expected to pass over the Taiwan Strait in the evening and make landfall in China near Kinmen around 2 a.m. Thursday. Heavy rain is possible across most of Taiwan from Tuesday night through Thursday.

Authorities ordered the evacuation of about 600 people from villages in Wanrong, Guangfu, and Fenglin in Hualien County due to flooding risks from a nearby upstream lake, the Liberty Times reported.

Public events scheduled for Wednesday, including fireworks in Taipei’s Dadaocheng area, were canceled. Ferry services and other local transportation routes will be suspended, while mountain and coastal tourist sites closed early, according to the Liberty Times.