The flood control headquarters in Fujian Province in the Chinese mainland upgraded its emergency typhoon response from Level IV to Level III on Tuesday evening, anticipating the arrival of Typhoon Podul.
At 8 p.m. the same day, Guangdong Province authorities mirrored the move as forecasts predict heavy rain and strong gales across the region from Wednesday through Friday.
Podul, the 11th named storm of the 2025 Pacific typhoon season, was located about 510 km southeast of Taitung in the Taiwan region at 5 p.m., packing peak winds of 35 m/s at its center, according to the National Meteorological Center.
Moving westward at roughly 25 km/h, Podul is expected to intensify to sustained winds of 50 m/s, classifying it as a severe typhoon.
Landfall is forecast for the southeastern coast of the island of Taiwan around noon on Wednesday. The storm will then cross the Taiwan Strait at reduced strength and make a second landfall along the coast between Jinjiang in Fujian and Huilai in Guangdong between Wednesday night and early Thursday morning.
Both provinces have instructed local authorities to monitor the storm closely and deploy emergency measures to safeguard residents and infrastructure.
The Chinese mainland operates a four-tier emergency response system, with Level I indicating the most severe conditions.
Reference(s):
China's Fujian, Guangdong upgrade emergency typhoon response measures
cgtn.com
