Typhoon Podul (16W/Ex-Gorio) – Tropical Cyclone Advisory #14: 1200 UTC 13 August 2025

Podul still a typhoon as it crosses the Taiwan Strait; expected to make landfall in southeastern China in the next several hours.

Author

Will Weaver
August 13, 2025

…Podul still a typhoon as it crosses the Taiwan Strait… …Expected to make landfall in southeastern China in the next several hours…

Himawari-9 infrared satellite image (Weathernerds)

Current storm information:

  • Position: 23.5°N 118.7°E

  • Movement: WNW at 18 knots (30 km/h)

  • Intensity: 65 knots (120 km/h) [Cat 1]

  • Central pressure: 985 hPa

Trend:

  • Rapid weakening is forecast during the next 24 hours, and Podul is expected to dissipate over land on Thursday.

Watches and warnings:

  • Typhoon warning (CWA): Changhua County, Yunlin County, Chiayi City, Chiayi County, Tainan City, Kaohsiung City, Pingtung County, Penghu County, Kinmen County

  • TCWS #2 (Philippines): Itbayat in the Batanes Islands

  • TCWS #1 (Philippines): The rest of the Batanes Islands

  • No. 1 Standby Signal (HKO/SMG): Hong Kong, Macau

Hazards affecting land:

  • Podul is expected to continue producing very heavy rainfall over portions of western Taiwan during the next several hours. This rainfall will spread inland over southeastern China on Thursday. This rainfall is expected to cause widespread flash flooding and landslides. For additional information, including possible additional warnings, refer to products from your local weather office.

Discussion:

Composite radar image (CyclonicWx)

Podul made landfall in eastern Taiwan at about 0455 UTC with winds of 95 kts. It is possible that Podul may have reached Category 3 status, though surface observations at that time don’t seem to support that. Since then, Podul has wasted little time in crossing southern Taiwan, and it is now located over the southern entrance of the Taiwan Strait. Podul is not quite as disrupted as one would typically expect a tropical cyclone that just crossed mountainous terrain to be, as radar indicates that Podul has maintained a mostly complete eyewall feature. Convection has diminished significantly to the north of the center, although a band of very intense convection has redeveloped to the southwest and it remains to be seen if this can wrap back into the center. The intensity is lowered to a potentially generous 65 kts, hedged between Dvorak fixes ranging from T3.5 to T4.5 and CIMSS ADT and D-PRINT estimates of 59 and 67 kts.

Podul is moving west-northwestward at a pretty good clip under the influence of a strong ridge to its north, and it should make landfall in southeastern China within the next few hours. Although environmental conditions appear to be favorable with low shear and ample moisture, Podul will soon be crossing a pool of much cooler waters just off the coast, and it seems unlikely that Podul will strengthen much, if at all, before landfall. Once Podul makes landfall, it should rapidly push further inland before dissipating on Thursday evening.

Forecast positions and maximum winds

  • 00 hrs: 23.5°N 118.7°E – 65 kts

  • 12 hrs: 24.7°N 115.5°E – 30 kts inland

  • 24 hrs: Dissipated

JMA forecast map

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