Typhoon Haima to bring heavy rain to eastern Taiwan

TAIPEI -- The impact of Typhoon Haima has been downgraded as it moves southward, but heavy rainfall is likely to hit eastern Taiwan on Thursday and Friday, the local meteorological authority said Wednesday.

As of Wednesday morning, Haima was 990 kilometers east-southeast of Eluanbi on Taiwan's southernmost tip, moving at 27 kilometers per hour in a west-northwesterly direction, and will arrive at Luzon Island in the Philippines on Wednesday night, according to the island's meteorological bureau.

There is a lowered possibility of a sea warning for Typhoon Haima since it is moving southward and will not hit the island directly, the bureau said.

However, moisture carried by Haima's peripheral currents could gradually reach the island and bring heavy rainfall to eastern regions and the Hengchun Peninsula in the south.

The bureau also warned of offshore waves along the island's coast and asked residents to take precautions accordingly.