Songda to miss Philippines, China and Taiwan

Typhoon Songda is now moving off to the northwest. The very powerful storm remains compact, keeping the heaviest wind and rain close to its center. Since the storm is not currently expected to make landfall in China, Taiwan or the Philippines, only heavy rains and moderate to strong winds are expected to impact on-shore areas. Luzon is now being severely affected by heavy rain and wind, as well as rough surf and coastal erosion. Saturday the storm will begin having similar effects on eastern Taiwan as well as some of the upland regions across the island. The rain and wind will likely last through the weekend. China should not have any serious impacts, expect possibly for some rough surf as the typhoon passes well to the east.

Although outside of our coverage area at DevWeather, Japan could recieve a direct hit from the Songda. This would most likely be in the south, away from the major population centers as well as the area impacted by the Fukushima nuclear crisis.