SHENZHEN is bracing for heavy rain as Typhoon Podul — this year’s 11th — approaches the region, the city’s weather forecast said yesterday. The typhoon is expected to ease recent heat but bring several days of wind and downpours beginning later this week. The National Meteorological Center issued a yellow typhoon warning at 6 a.m. yesterday. At 11 a.m. yesterday, Podul’s center was located over the northwest Pacific, about 670 km east?southeast of Taitung City, Taiwan. The typhoon is forecast to move westward and gradually strengthen. Podul is expected to make landfall on Taiwan’s southeast coast around noon today, cross the island into the Taiwan Strait, and then weaken. It is likely to make a second landfall along the coast between southern Fujian and eastern Guangdong between tonight and the early hours of tomorrow. Forecasters say there remains a possibility the storm could pass south of Taiwan and strike near the Fujian–Guangdong border. Under Podul’s influence, eastern and northern parts of Guangdong Province — including the eastern Pearl River Delta — are forecast to see heavy rain from tonight into Friday. Shenzhen’s forecast office specifically warned of heavier showers tomorrow and Friday. The approaching typhoon may also bring relief from the recent heat wave. Shenzhen has been under a yellow high?temperature alert for four consecutive days since last Friday — the city’s sixth such alert this year. During the peak of the heat, Shuibei Meteorological Recording Station in Cuizhu Subdistrict, Luohu District, recorded a peak temperature of 36.1 degrees Celsius on Monday. Residents and businesses are advised to follow local authorities’ safety instructions and prepare for sudden heavy rain. (Tang Li) | 