The Central Weather Administration (CWA) is expecting to issue a maritime typhoon warning on the afternoon of Friday, August 7, due to medium-strength Typhoon Dolphin approaching Taiwan’s north coast. CWA says a land typhoon warning may be issued for the outlying Matsu Islands on August 8.

On Thursday, Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) instructed the Cabinet’s Office of Disaster Management to convene a pre-disaster intelligence assessment meeting in order to bolster preparedness in high-risk areas. The office called for pre-positioning of pumping equipment and emergency response capacity to address flooding risks in low-lying areas. It also requested close monitoring of accumulated rainfall in the catchment areas of the barrier lakes on Wanli River and Matai’an Creek.

Typhoon Dolphin is expected to follow a path off Taiwan’s north coast and make landfall in China later in the week. However, as the typhoon’s rain bands extend far from the eye and its movement is relatively slow, it is expected to bring an extended period of rainfall to Taiwan. This may pose considerable risk to areas previously affected by heavy rains caused by Typhoon Bavi in July.