Tainan: Typhoon Podul exited Taiwan from Tainan’s Cigu District at approximately 4 p.m. on Wednesday, traversing the southern part of the island in just three hours, as reported by the Central Weather Administration (CWA).

According to Focus Taiwan, the typhoon was traveling west-northwest at 27 kilometers per hour, with maximum sustained winds of 155 kph and gusts reaching up to 191 kph by the time it departed. The CWA’s projections suggest that both land and sea warnings could be lifted as early as Thursday morning, as stated by weather forecaster Liu Yu-chi.

Liu noted that the typhoon’s slight southward shift helped it avoid direct interaction with Taiwan’s Central Mountain Range, minimizing geographical disruption and allowing it to maintain speed. Despite this, the storm’s effects linger, with the CWA issuing torrential rain warnings for several regions including Hualien County, Taitung County, the Hengchun Peninsula, and mountainous areas of Kaohsiung and Pingtung County. These warnings indicate potential rainfall of over 350 millimeters in one day or 200 mm in three hours.

Additionally, extremely heavy rain advisories were announced for Tainan, Kaohsiung, Chiayi County, and other areas, predicting rainfall exceeding 200 mm in 24 hours or over 100 mm in three hours. Areas such as Taichung, Chiayi City, and numerous counties received heavy rain advisories, forecasting rain surpassing 80 mm in a day or 40 mm in an hour. All rain warnings are expected to persist through early Thursday morning.