TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The latest forecast models predict that Tropical Storm Saola will circle off the northeast coast of the Philippines for five days as it continues to strengthen before heading northwest toward Taiwan on Aug. 29, but its path after that date is still uncertain.

At 2 a.m. Friday (Aug. 25), the Central Weather Bureau (CWB) said Saola was 430 km southeast of the Hengchun Peninsula. It had a radius of 80 km and was packing maximum sustained winds of 90 kph with gusts of up to 118 kph.

CWB map of Saola's projected path. (CWB image)

The CWB forecast Saola will move in a loop off the northeast of the Philippines' Luzon Island for the next five days and will likely intensify into a typhoon on Saturday (Aug. 26). Southeastern Taiwan, Bashi Channel, and the northeast Philippines are currently all within the CWB's cone of uncertainty for Saola.

Meteorologist Daniel Wu (吳德榮) said the latest European, Japanese, and U.S. models also predict that Saola will circle to the northeast of the Philippines for five days. The European and Japanese models have Saola turning northwest by Aug. 30 and making landfall in Taiwan by 8 p.m. on Aug. 31, while the U.S. model predicts that it will turn westward and pass through the Bashi Channel before entering the South China Sea.

The CWB warned that there will be large waves along the coast of southeastern Taiwan, including Orchid Island and Green Island, over the next few days.

Meanwhile, Tropical Storm Damrey became the 10th tropical storm of the year at 2 a.m. on Friday. However, the CWB predicts that Damrey will head north toward the waters off the eastern coast of Japan and is not expected to have any impact on Taiwan's weather.

JMA map of Saola's projected path. (JMA image)

Satellite image of Saola. (NOAA GIF)