Residents in eastern Taiwan are being warned to brace for the effects of Typhoon Malakas, according to the Central Weather Bureau (CWB) on Friday.

The moderate typhoon is expected to sweep past eastern and north-eastern Taiwan without making landfall, with the storm&’s outer rim brushing the eastern coastline early Saturday.

Areas projected to be impacted areas are Yilan, Hualien, Taitung (including Orchid Island and Green Island), Taipei City, New Taipei City, Keelung, Taoyuan, Hsinchu, Miaoli and Taichung.

The CWB forecast torrential rain for these areas, especially in mountainous regions of Taipei, Hsinchu, Miaoli, Taichung, Nantou, Yunlin and Chiayi.

The CWB warned that heavy rainfall over the past week may have left the aforementioned areas vulnerable to landslides.

Both sea and land warnings for the typhoon have been issued by the CWB.

As of 5:30 p.m. Friday, Moderate Typhoon Malakas’ moved into seas to the southeast of Taiwan, some 320 kilometers to the east of Hengchun.

The typhoon has reached wind speeds of 155 kilometers per hour, and is currently moving at a rate of 19 kilometers per hour in a north-northwesterly direction.

With a radius of 150 kilometers as of late Friday evening, Typhoon Malakas may gain strength and potentially have a greater impact.

However, the likelihood of Typhoon Malakas strengthening into a severe typhoon was low, the CWB said.

CWB also warned of strong waves as the typhoon approaches.

A spattering of torrential rain warnings, were also issued for areas in Kaohsiung, Pingtung, and mountainous regions in Western Taiwan.

Malakas approaches the island just days after Typhoon Meranti barreled across southern Taiwan.

Meranti brought the strongest gusts the region has seen in decades as well as localized flooding. The typhoon left one dead and dozens injured.

Premier Lin Chuan inspected disaster relief efforts in Kinmen County brought on by Meranti, which caused estimated damage in excess of NT$1.8 billion (US$56 million app).

At least five million trees were felled by the storm&’s strong gusts.

As of press time, the electricity supply has yet to be restored to the county.

Taiwan&’s military has also placed 23,308 soldiers on standby nationwide to help with potential relief efforts, according to the Ministry of National Defence.

Canceled transportation rundown

All Taiwan High Speed Rail (THSR) services are likely operate as normal on Saturday, though an update on the service&’s status will be announced before 10:30 a.m.

Certain services may be delayed in Northern Taiwan due to the adjustment of train speeds in light of extreme weather.