Bailu is no longer a tropical storm but still has large rainfall
potential for China.
The eye of Tropical Storm Bailu spent only three hours over Taiwan but the rain fell for
more than 48 hours. There was some wind damage in the form of flattened young
banana palms but the rain was always the major threat.
A 19-year-old motorist in
Tainan died from injuries caused by fallen trees uprooted in strong winds late
on Saturday, Taiwan News media outlet reported.
At least 30 planes failed to
land in Taiwan on Saturday night due to gusts from the storm, diverting to Hong
Kong or the Ryukyu Islands. An estimated 5,000 passengers were affected.
The worst-hit areas were the
mountains in the southeast, in the counties of Taitung and Hualien. The
heaviest reported rainfall was 757 millimetres in the mountain Township of
Shingen, Taitung County.
Liushidan Mountain in Hualien
County, a location usually drawing many sightseers for its orange daylily
blossoms, caught 607mm - 14 people were stuck on the mountain for a while after
the road down was made impassable by mudslides.
Bailu became a mass of
thunderstorms bringing torrential rain to the Chinese mainland, mainly in
Fujian and Guangdong although Hong Kong is on the edge of the flood risk area.
Nevertheless, 150 to 300mm of rain seems likely to fall inland in Guangdong.
