TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — At about 2 p.m. on Tuesday (July 23), a pair of foreign storm chasers were scouring Taiwan’s east coast between Suao and Hualien, seeking suitable locations to film landfall for Typhoon Gaemi.

Predicting the path of the typhoon and typhoon eye is crucial for storm chasers as it provides the most dramatic footage, with wind speeds typically at their strongest just north of the eye.

James Reynolds, a U.K. national and founder of Earth Uncut TV and frequent contributor to CNN, said he would have a clearer picture of the typhoon’s path late this evening when radar imaging becomes available.

“Radar will show us the size of the eye, and this will help us predict the overall scope of the typhoon and give some indication about windspeed, direction, and rainfall.” Logic would indicate that typhoons with a smaller eye tend to be smaller in size, and vice versa.

“I won’t comment on the severity of the rain or wind, as everyone should take necessary precautions, but it has been a good 10 years since the Taipei area has felt the effects of a major typhoon. This could lead to a lot of debris accumulating, which could fly about and be a cause for concern.”

Reynolds said Taiwan has escaped relatively unscathed by typhoons in the past few years, with Typhoon Koinu in 2023 only grazing the Kaohsiung and Kenting areas and other storms largely missing Taiwan.

“Typhoon Gaemi is being pushed around by overhead air currents, much like a bulge on the periphery of a balloon.” This was his explanation for why the typhoon was heading toward Taiwan’s Central Mountain Range.

Reynolds storm-chasing companion, Mark Thomas, a fellow U.K. native, said typhoons passing over Taiwan’s Central Mountain Range have to reform after making the crossing. This was the case of Typhoon Soudelor.

A land warning for Typhoon Gaemi was issued at 11:30 a.m. on Tuesday (July 23).