Thai Airways has advised passengers on routes to Taipei and Shanghai on Thursday and Friday, August 27 to 28, to check their flight status as Typhoon Saudel approaches. The airline issued the advisory yesterday.
Typhoon Saudel moved towards southern Japan and northern Taiwan on Tuesday, bringing the prospect of heavy rain. Taiwan’s Central Weather Administration said the storm should pass north of the island. Its forecasters expect heavy rain to begin late Thursday and continue into Friday.
Reuters put Saudel’s movement at 20kph, with maximum sustained winds of 162 kph and gusts up to 216 kph. The Taipei Times, citing the Central Weather Administration, reported sustained winds of 183.6 kph near the centre on the afternoon of August 24.
The administration classed the system as a strong moderate typhoon at that point, and expected it to weaken today.
Thai Airways noted the possibly affected flights:
- TG634/635
- TG664/665
- TG637
- TG632/633
- TG634/635
- TG662/663
- TG664/665
Forecasters do not expect Saudel to make landfall in Taiwan. Storm-force winds are still likely across northern Taiwan and Lienchiang County, the Central Weather Administration said. It placed northern Taiwan and central mountainous areas on alert for heavy rain from Thursday evening.
Japan’s weather agency warned of destructive gusts, strong winds and high seas as the storm neared the islands of Okinawa Prefecture.
China’s National Marine Environmental Forecasting Centre issued an orange alert, the second-highest warning level, over the typhoon. It covers high waves of 7 to 12 metres in the eastern East China Sea.
Taiwan’s government reported one person dead and four missing after flooding from a separate tropical depression hit Tainan and Kaohsiung. Almost a metre of rain fell on Kaohsiung over three days from Sunday to Tuesday. The government said that the total exceeded the rainfall recorded during Typhoon Morakot in 2009.
Thai Airways asked passengers booked on the two routes on Thursday and Friday to check their flight status.
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