Typhoon Podul

Typhoon Podul (pronounced [pɔ.dul]), known in the Philippines as Typhoon Gorio, was a relatively compact but moderately strong tropical cyclone that impacted Taiwan and South China in mid-August 2025. The eleventh named storm and third typhoon of 2025 Pacific typhoon season, Podul originated from an area of convection approximately 230 nautical miles (430 km) northeast of Saipan in the Northern Mariana Islands. Guided west-northwestward by a subtropical ridge, the system gradually organized in an environment of warm sea surface temperatures, high ocean heat content, and low to moderate wind shear. On August 8, it strengthened into a tropical storm and assigned the name Podul from the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA). Although strong northeasterly vertical wind shear and entrainment of dry air initially disrupted its core, Podul steadily consolidated, with deep convection and tighter convective banding around its low-level circulation center (LLCC). The JMA upgraded the system to a typhoon on August 9, followed by the Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) on August 12. Podul reached its peak intensity on August 13 as a Category 2-equivalent typhoon before making landfall in Taimali, Taitung County, Taiwan. After weakening over the Central Mountain Range, it crossed the Taiwan Strait as a severe tropical storm and made a second landfall in Zhangpu, Fujian Province, China.

In Taiwan, where the storm made its first landfall, over 8,000 people were evacuated. Heavy rainfall triggered flooding in several areas, while strong winds left more than 292,000 households without power. One death, 112 injuries, and a missing person were reported. Transport was heavily affected, with dozens of flights canceled or diverted at Taipei Taoyuan International Airport, where a UPS Airlines Boeing 747 cargo sustained an engine strike and was uncontrollable during landing in strong winds. In China's Guangdong province, authorities relocated around 75,000 residents from flood-prone areas as the storm brought heavy rainfall in Guangzhou.