A strengthening Typhoon Soudelor could bring heavy rainfall across Taiwan beginning on Friday.
According to the Central Weather Bureau on Thursday, as of 2:30pm, Soudelor was centered 860km east-southeast of Hualien in eastern Taiwan. It was moving at a speed of 23km per hour in a west-northwesterly direction. The weather bureau said the typhoon is packing maximum sustained winds of 173kph, with gusts reaching 209kph.
The bureau said the storm is solid in structure and may continue growing. It added that the typhoon could make landfall somewhere between Hualien and Taitung in eastern Taiwan Friday afternoon or evening. The eastern and northern parts of Taiwan are likely to be the most affected.