Heavy rain forecast as Typhoon Saudel girds towards Japan and Taiwan

TOKYO/TAIPEI – Medium-strength Typhoon Saudel moved towards southern Japan and northern Taiwan on Aug 25 where it is expected to bring heavy rain, as Taiwan reported one dead and four missing from a separate weather system over its south and east.Japan’s weather agency warned of destructive gusts as Typhoon Saudel approached the south-western islands of Okinawa prefecture, also causing extremely strong winds and high seas.The typhoon was moving slowly at 20kph, packing maximum sustained winds of 162kph and gusts of up to 216kph.The agency urged residents in affected areas to remain on high alert for landslides, flooding and rising rivers from heavy rainfall.Saudel is expected to pass to the north of Taiwan and dump water on its north starting late on Aug 27 and into Aug 28, the island’s Central Weather Administration said.In southern and eastern Taiwan, the government reported one person dead and four missing from a tropical depression that brought flooding in the cities of Tainan and Kaohsiung, home to more than four million people.During the three days from Aug 23 to Aug 25, almost a metre of rain fell in Kaohsiung, which the government said exceeded rainfall during 2009’s devastating Typhoon Morakot that killed about 700 people and caused damage of up to US$3 billion (S$3.8 billion).Saudel is forecast to hit the coast in the eastern Chinese province of Fujian from late on Aug 27 to early Aug 28.China’s National Marine Environmental Forecasting Centre issued an orange alert, the second-highest warning level, for high waves.It said waves of seven to 12m are expected in the eastern section of the East China Sea. REUTERS