Typhoon Saola expected to enter Macau as it heads toward Taiwan, southern China

A typhoon has dumped heavy rain in the northern Philippines but did not reach land as it moved toward southern Taiwan. It is currently headed towards China’s southern coast.

According to the Meteorological and Geophysics Bureau (SMG), the typhoon will be within 800 km from Macau tomorrow night.

In the northern Philippines, flooding in low-lying villages displaced more than 2,300 people, most of whom sought shelter in government evacuation centers. No casualties have been reported.

The typhoon advanced with maximum winds of 155 kph and gusts of up to 190 kph, according to the Philippine weather bureau.

The Chinese port city of Xiamen, across the strait from Taiwan, suspended ferry services from today.

Typhoon Saola was expected to further weaken and may hit the southern tip of Taiwan tomorrow.

Most weather maps put the typhoon on course toward Hong Kong and southern China later this week.

Taiwan’s weather bureau said it expects to issue a sea warning and possibly a land warning as the typhoon approached.

Also, as another tropical cyclone Typhoon Haikui in the northwest Pacific ocean is moving towards the East China Sea, it might interact with Typhoon Saola later this week.

“There are still uncertainties about the trajectory and the location of making landfall of Saola. The SMG will closely monitor the development of the tropical cyclones,” said the bureau.

Last month, Typhoon Doksuri hit the northern Philippines, displacing thousands, before making landfall and causing deadly floods in China. LV