Heavy rain forecast as Typhoon Saudel girds towards Japan and Taiwan

Typhoon Saudel, currently a medium-strength storm, is tracking towards southern Japan and northern Taiwan, with meteorological agencies forecasting significant rainfall and potentially destructive gusts. Japan's weather agency has issued warnings for the southwestern islands of Okinawa prefecture, anticipating extremely strong winds and rough seas as the typhoon approaches.

Saudel is moving at a relatively slow pace of 20 kph (12 mph), with maximum sustained winds reaching 162 kph and gusts up to 216 kph. Residents in the anticipated path are urged to remain on high alert for landslides, flooding, and rising rivers due to the expected heavy rainfall. The typhoon is projected to pass north of Taiwan, bringing substantial rain to the island's northern regions from late Thursday into Friday.

Meanwhile, Taiwan is already grappling with the aftermath of a separate tropical depression that brought severe flooding to the southern cities of Tainan and Kaohsiung. This system has resulted in one confirmed fatality and four individuals reported missing. Kaohsiung experienced nearly a meter (3.9 feet) of rain over three days, exceeding the rainfall recorded during Typhoon Morakot in 2009, which caused widespread devastation and significant loss of life.

Forecasters predict Saudel will make landfall on the coast of China's eastern Fujian province between late Thursday and early Friday. China's National Marine Environmental Forecasting Centre has issued an orange alert, the second-highest warning level, anticipating waves of seven to 12 meters (23-40 feet) in the eastern East China Sea.