Typhoon Bawei weakens, Taiwan main island exits storm circle

Typhoon Bawei has continued to weaken and reduce in size, allowing Taiwan's main island to move out of its storm circle by late Tuesday night. The Central Weather Administration announced that only Matsu remains under a land alert, with the typhoon warning anticipated to be lifted by early Wednesday morning.

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Bawei's intensity decreased over the past three hours, and its storm circle shrunk.

As of late Tuesday night, Typhoon Bawei's center was located northeast of Matsu, moving northwest at a speed of 30 to 14 kilometers per hour. The typhoon's central pressure was 965 hectopascals, with maximum sustained winds near the center at 35 meters per second. Its seven-level wind radius extended 300 kilometers, and its ten-level wind radius was 100 kilometers.

Forecasters noted that Bawei's intensity decreased over the past three hours, and its storm circle shrunk. While the main island of Taiwan is no longer affected, the typhoon continues to pose a threat to Matsu and the waters north of Taiwan. The storm is expected to make landfall in China around midnight, leading to the lifting of the land alert for Matsu in the early morning and the complete lifting of the typhoon warning by sunrise.

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Taiwan's main island has already exited the storm circle, but it still poses a threat to Matsu and the waters north of Taiwan.

Reviewing Bawei's impact, rainfall has been substantial, particularly in western and northeastern Taiwan. Mountainous areas in Miaoli and Hsinchu counties recorded the highest accumulated rainfall, exceeding 760mm and 740mm respectively from September 9 to late Tuesday night. Other areas, including Taichung, Taoyuan, and Yunlin, received over 500mm, while New Taipei, Nantou, Yilan, and Chiayi recorded over 400mm. In contrast, eastern Taiwan experienced less rainfall, with some areas even reporting foehn winds.

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the overall rainfall was mainly in the western and northeastern parts, with most of the rain in the mountainous areas north of Taichung, especially in the mountainous areas of Miaoli and Hsinchu, which was quite astonishing.

Looking ahead, while the typhoon itself is moving away, weather conditions are expected to remain unstable due to the influence of the southwest monsoon and moisture from the south. Short-term showers are predicted for southern and southeastern Taiwan on September 13-14, with afternoon thunderstorms likely in other regions. Heavy localized rain, potentially including short-duration torrential downpours in northern mountainous areas, is also possible. Coastal areas and outlying islands should be aware of high waves, and low-lying coastal areas south of Chiayi, eastern Taiwan, and the Keelung coast should be mindful of potential flooding and seawater backflow during high tides from September 13 to 17.

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the weather is still not very stable.