Tropical Storm Saudel Brings Heavy Rain and Flooding to Southern Taiwan

Typhoon Saudel weakened into a tropical storm on Friday morning as it moved toward eastern China. While the storm is not expected to make landfall in Taiwan, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) warned that its outer bands and southwesterly winds will bring heavy to extremely heavy rain to southern and southeastern Taiwan. The CWA issued heavy rain advisories for Chiayi County, Tainan, and Kaohsiung, and an extremely heavy rain advisory for Pingtung County. In Pingtung, rainfall has already exceeded 100mm.

Torrential rain has caused widespread flooding across Tainan, Kaohsiung, and Pingtung County, leading to the evacuation of more than 2,300 people. Local governments in Tainan, Kaohsiung, and Pingtung suspended work and classes for two consecutive days, while Chiayi, Hualien, and Taitung counties also canceled work and classes. The Tainan City Government requested five mobile water pumps from the central government to assist with the flooding.

The CWA maintained a sea warning for waters north of Taiwan, particularly near the Matsu Islands, where rain and winds were expected to intensify. Residents in mountainous areas were warned of potential landslides, rockfalls, and rising river levels, while those in low lying coastal areas were alerted to flooding risks if heavy rain coincides with high tides. As of 8 a.m. Friday, the storm was located approximately 250 kilometers north northeast of Matsu, moving west southwest at 29 kilometers per hour before slowing to 17 kilometers per hour upon moving over China.

While center leaning coverage focused primarily on the meteorological data and weather agency warnings, center left coverage emphasized the immediate humanitarian impact, such as the number of evacuees and the suspension of public activities.