Saudel Sea Warning and Heavy-Rain Advisories Lifted; South Cross-Island Highway Closure and Wanli River Channel Red Remain
Original Chinese title: 沙德爾海警與豪雨特報解除；南橫封閉、萬里溪河道red持續
The Central Weather Administration lifted Typhoon Saudel's sea typhoon warning at 14:30 on August 28. By 19:58, the heavy-rain warning page listed no active county warnings and no severe-thunderstorm immediate message was active, so the earlier Kaohsiung-Pingtung torrential-rain and central-southern heavy-rain watches have returned to monitoring. The Highway Bureau still lists Provincial Highway 20 temporary route 105 from Meishankou to Xiangyang, 0K-44K, as closed to traffic, affecting South Cross-Island Highway travel between Taoyuan District in Kaohsiung and Haiduan Township in Taitung; this remains transport watch, not red. Lanyu is under a yellow strong-wind advisory and is classified as strong-wind watch. ARDSWC lists zero red and zero yellow debris-flow or large-scale-landslide alerts, the Water Resources Agency currently lists no inundation, river-stage, or reservoir-release alert, and the Directorate-General of Personnel Administration lists no work-or-class suspension. The site's remaining overall red is still limited to the existing officially mapped Wanli River channel red alert; the Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency's August 28 monitoring says the dam remains intact, overflow is stable, and effects remain confined to the channel.
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19:58 Update: Saudel Sea Warning and Heavy-Rain Advisories Lifted; South Cross-Island Highway Closure and Wanli River Channel Red Remain
Information time: August 28, 2026, 19:58.
Official sources: Central Weather Administration, Highway Bureau, Water Resources Agency disaster information service, Agency of Rural Development and Soil and Water Conservation, Directorate-General of Personnel Administration, Hualien Branch of the Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency, and relevant local authorities.
Indigenous areas affected: The Central Weather Administration lifted Typhoon Saudel's sea typhoon warning at 14:30 on August 28. By 19:58, the heavy-rain warning page listed no active county warnings, and no severe-thunderstorm immediate message was active. The earlier `watch / torrential rain` for Taoyuan, Namasia, and Maolin in Kaohsiung and Sandimen, Wutai, Majia, Taiwu, Laiyi, Chunri, Shizi, and Mudan in Pingtung, together with the `watch / heavy rain` for Heping, Ren'ai, Xinyi, Alishan, and the Tainan mountain region, has therefore returned to `monitoring`; none is `red`. A 16:23 land strong-wind advisory places Lanyu under a yellow signal, so Lanyu is classified only as `watch / strong-wind`, not red.
Roads and public services: The Highway Bureau's Southern Region Branch still lists Provincial Highway 20 temporary route 105, 0K-44K from Meishankou to Xiangyang, as closed to traffic from 07:00 on August 28. This scan found no formal reopening notice. The closure directly affects South Cross-Island Highway travel between Taoyuan District in Kaohsiung and Haiduan Township in Taitung and remains `transport / watch`, not `red`. Provincial Highway 1 at 419K in Chaozhou, Pingtung, was briefly blocked by surface flooding, but the Highway Bureau later announced that the water had receded and normal traffic had resumed, so it is not treated as an active Indigenous-area interruption.
Nationwide regional scan: In the north, Wulai, Fuxing, Jianshi, Wufeng, Nanzhuang, and Tai'an currently have no active heavy-rain advisory, no severe-thunderstorm immediate message, and no ARDSWC red or yellow alert, so they remain under `monitoring`. In central Taiwan, the earlier heavy-rain watch for Heping, Ren'ai, Xinyi, and Alishan has ended; this scan found no new Indigenous-area road closure, evacuation, shelter activation, or work-or-class suspension. In the south, the earlier heavy-rain and torrential-rain watches for the Tainan mountain region, Taoyuan, Namasia, Maolin, and the listed Pingtung Indigenous areas have ended; Taoyuan remains under `transport / watch` because Meishankou-Xiangyang is still closed. In the east, Datong and Nan'ao in Yilan and Xiulin, Wanrong, and Zhuoxi in Hualien remain under weather `monitoring`; Haiduan remains under `transport / watch`, Lanyu is under `watch / strong-wind`, and Beinan, Yanping, Daren, Jinfeng, Taimali, and Dawu remain under `monitoring`. The Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency's August 28 monitoring says the Wanli River landslide-dammed lake remains intact and stably overflowing, with downstream effects confined to the river channel. The formal August 25 notice that keeps the officially mapped river channel at `red` has not been found formally lifted, so that red remains limited to the mapped channel.
Alert level: ARDSWC currently lists zero red and zero yellow debris-flow alerts and zero red and zero yellow large-scale-landslide alerts. The Water Resources Agency currently lists no inundation, river-stage, or reservoir-release alert. The Directorate-General of Personnel Administration currently lists no work-or-class suspension. This scan found no new Indigenous-area level-one inundation alert, stream-surge escalation, evacuation, shelter activation, transport-wide suspension, major agricultural-loss warning, or public-service interruption escalation. If the site's overall `red` remains displayed, its only basis is the Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency's existing formal red alert inside the officially mapped Wanli River channel. Saudel's sea warning and the earlier heavy-rain watches are no longer active.
Recommended action: Although the heavy-rain advisories have ended, mountain areas in central-southern and eastern Taiwan should still watch for localized rainfall and saturated slopes. Do not enter the Meishankou-Xiangyang section of the South Cross-Island Highway until the Highway Bureau formally reopens it. Lanyu should follow the Central Weather Administration's strong-wind advisory. Do not enter the officially mapped Wanli River channel until its formal red alert is lifted.
Official notices govern.
15:51 Update: Heavy Rain in Kaohsiung-Pingtung Mountains and Central-Southern Taiwan; Meishankou-Xiangyang Closed
Information time: August 28, 2026, 15:51.
Official sources: Central Weather Administration, Highway Bureau, Agency of Rural Development and Soil and Water Conservation, Water Resources Agency disaster information service, Directorate-General of Personnel Administration, Hualien Branch of the Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency, and relevant local authorities.
Indigenous areas affected: The Central Weather Administration's 11:00 heavy-rain advisory on August 28 states that southwest winds are bringing short-duration intense rainfall. Local heavy rain or torrential rain is possible in Pingtung County and the mountain areas of Kaohsiung, while local heavy rain is possible in Taichung, Nantou, southern Taiwan, and the mountain areas of Yunlin and Chiayi. Taoyuan, Namasia, and Maolin in Kaohsiung, together with Sandimen, Wutai, Majia, Taiwu, Laiyi, Chunri, Shizi, and Mudan in Pingtung, are therefore classified as `watch / torrential rain`. Heping in Taichung, Ren'ai and Xinyi in Nantou, Alishan in Chiayi, and the Tainan mountain region are classified as `watch / heavy rain`. None of these rain watches is `red`.
Roads and public services: The Highway Bureau's Southern Region Branch states that Provincial Highway 20 temporary route 105, 0K-44K from Meishankou to Xiangyang, has been closed to traffic since 07:00 on August 28 because Typhoon Saudel's outer circulation and southwest winds, together with saturated slopes from earlier rainfall, have increased rockfall and landslide risk. The road will reopen only after weather and safety inspections confirm safe conditions. This directly affects South Cross-Island Highway travel between Taoyuan District in Kaohsiung and Haiduan Township in Taitung and is classified as `transport / watch`, not `red`.
Nationwide regional scan: Northern Indigenous areas including Wulai, Fuxing, Jianshi, Wufeng, Nanzhuang, and Tai'an are not included in the 11:00 heavy-rain advisory; Saudel's sea typhoon warning remains `marine typhoon warning / watch` or `monitoring`, not land-based `red`. In central Taiwan, Heping, Ren'ai, Xinyi, and Alishan are under heavy-rain `watch`; no ARDSWC red or yellow debris-flow or large-scale-landslide escalation is active. In the south, the Tainan mountain region is under heavy-rain `watch`, while Taoyuan, Namasia, and Maolin in Kaohsiung and the listed Pingtung Indigenous areas are under torrential-rain `watch`; Taoyuan is also affected by the Meishankou-Xiangyang road closure. In the east, Datong and Nan'ao in Yilan and Xiulin, Wanrong, and Zhuoxi in Hualien remain under `monitoring` or marine-warning `watch`; Haiduan in Taitung is under `transport / watch` because the South Cross-Island Highway is closed, while Beinan, Yanping, Daren, Jinfeng, Taimali, Dawu, and Lanyu remain under `monitoring`. The Wanli River landslide-dammed lake continues stable overflow with effects limited to the channel; the existing formal `red` inside the officially mapped river channel has not been found formally lifted and remains limited to that mapped channel.
Alert level: ARDSWC's Saudel response currently lists zero red and zero yellow debris-flow alerts and zero red and zero yellow large-scale-landslide alerts. The Central Weather Administration currently lists no severe-thunderstorm immediate message. The Directorate-General of Personnel Administration still listed no work-or-class suspension at 15:31. This scan found no new Indigenous-area level-one inundation alert, evacuation, or shelter escalation. If the site's overall `red` remains displayed, its only basis is the Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency's existing formal red alert inside the officially mapped Wanli River channel. The current heavy-rain advisories and road closure are `watch` conditions.
Recommended action: Avoid unnecessary entry into mountain valleys, steep slopes, and rockfall-prone roads in Kaohsiung, Pingtung, and other affected central-southern mountain areas. Do not enter the Meishankou-Xiangyang section of the South Cross-Island Highway until the Highway Bureau formally reopens it. Continue checking the Central Weather Administration, Highway Bureau, and local authorities for current rainfall, typhoon, and road information. Do not enter the officially mapped Wanli River channel until the formal restriction is lifted.
Official notices govern.
07:52 Update: Saudel Weakens to a Mild Typhoon; Sea Typhoon Warning Continues
Information time: August 28, 2026, 07:52.
Official sources: Central Weather Administration, Water Resources Agency disaster information service, Agency of Rural Development and Soil and Water Conservation, Directorate-General of Personnel Administration, Yilan and Hualien branches of the Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency, and relevant transportation and local authorities.
Indigenous areas affected: The Central Weather Administration's 05:00 data on August 28 show that Typhoon Saudel has weakened to a mild typhoon. Its center was at 28.0°N, 122.0°E, about 290 km northeast of Matsu, moving west at 23 km/h, while the sea typhoon warning remained active. This is still a marine warning. Indigenous land areas are therefore classified as `marine typhoon warning / watch` or `monitoring`; the sea warning must not be relabeled as a land-based `red` alert. The current CWA heavy-rain warning page lists no active county warning.
Nationwide regional scan: Northern Indigenous areas including Wulai, Fuxing, Jianshi, Wufeng, Nanzhuang, and Tai'an remain under marine-warning `watch` or `monitoring` and are not upgraded to land-based `red`. Central Indigenous areas including Heping, Ren'ai, Xinyi, and Alishan remain under `monitoring`; the current CWA heavy-rain warning page lists no active county warning, and road conditions remain subject to the Highway Bureau's latest notices. Southern Indigenous areas in the Tainan mountain region, Taoyuan, Namasia, and Maolin in Kaohsiung, and Sandimen, Wutai, Majia, Taiwu, Laiyi, Chunri, Shizi, and Mudan in Pingtung remain under `monitoring`; existing precautionary closures at Kuaigu Lodge, Mount Beidawu, Jinshuiying, and some Kaohsiung-Pingtung natural trails remain a separate `public-service / watch`, not `red`. Eastern Indigenous areas in Datong and Nan'ao should continue monitoring the sea warning and mountain transportation. The official Taipingshan National Forest Recreation Area page currently shows the park open, while some roads and trails remain partially restricted. The existing formal `red` inside the officially mapped Wanli River channel has not been found formally lifted and remains geographically limited to that mapped channel. Taitung Indigenous areas including Beinan, Yanping, Haiduan, Daren, Jinfeng, Taimali, Dawu, and Lanyu remain under `monitoring`.
Alert level: ARDSWC currently lists zero red and zero yellow debris-flow alerts and zero red and zero yellow large-scale-landslide alerts. The Water Resources Agency disaster information service currently lists no inundation, river-stage, or reservoir-release alert. The Directorate-General of Personnel Administration currently lists no work-or-class suspension. If the site's overall `red` remains displayed, its only basis is the Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency's existing formal red alert inside the officially mapped Wanli River channel. Typhoon Saudel's sea warning itself is shown only as `watch`.
Recommended action: Continue checking the Central Weather Administration for the latest sea typhoon warning, strong-wind, and rainfall information. Mountain and coastal activities, roads, and forest recreation sites should follow the latest notices from competent authorities. Do not enter the officially mapped Wanli River channel until the formal restriction is lifted.
Official notices govern.
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This English translation is based on the Traditional Chinese emergency brief and official updates from the Central Weather Administration, Highway Bureau, Water Resources Agency, Agency of Rural Development and Soil and Water Conservation, Directorate-General of Personnel Administration, Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency, and relevant local authorities. It does not replace official notices.