China: Typhoon Saudel strengthens again as winds, rain persist.

Shotlist Zhejiang Province, east China - Recent 1. Various of sea waves 2. Various of traffic in rain Ningde City, Fujian Province, east China - Recent 3. Various of swollen river 4. Various of traffic in rain Beijing, China - Recent 5. SOUNDBITE (Chinese) Liu Longsheng, senior engineer, National Meteorological Center (partially overlaid with shot 6): "After entering the South China Sea, Saudel regained strength mainly due to the abundant moisture and energy supplied by the strong monsoon. At the same time, sea surface temperatures above 28 degrees Celsius in the northern part of the South China Sea also provided favorable conditions for its intensification. In the coming days, Saudel's intensity is expected to remain largely unchanged, staying at tropical storm strength. It will then merge with a tropical disturbance over the northeastern South China Sea and linger in the area for several days." SHOT OVERLAYING SOUNDBITE Yongzhou City, Hunan Province, central China - Recent 6. Various of rain SHOT OVERLAYING SOUNDBITE Guangdong Province, south China - Recent 7. Various of sea, dense clouds Storyline Typhoon Saudel, the 18th typhoon of this year, has re intensified into a tropical storm and continues to bring heavy rain and strong winds to coastal areas in southern China. The storm was centered about 190 kilometers southeast of Shanwei, Guangdong, at 05:00 on Wednesday, with maximum sustained winds of Force 8 near its center. The National Meteorological Center maintained a blue typhoon alert at 06:00 on Wednesday. After making landfall, Typhoon Saudel traveled across six provinces and regions, including Zhejiang, Fujian, Jiangxi, Hunan, Guangxi, and Guangdong, before heading back out to sea, a path that is relatively rare for storms in the region. On Tuesday, heavy downpours hit parts of Fuzhou, Wenzhou, Shantou, Kaohsiung, and Sanya, with some areas in northeastern Fujian recording 250 to 280 millimeters of rain, as the typhoon interacted with the monsoon trough and a cold front. On Wednesday, the rain belt shifts slightly to the south, bringing heavy to torrential rain to Fujian, central and eastern Guangdong, and Taiwan. By Thursday, parts of southern Fujian, eastern Guangdong, and Taiwan will still see heavy rain. The revival of Saudel after being downgraded was driven by favorable environmental conditions, according to the National Meteorological Center. "After entering the South China Sea, Saudel regained strength mainly due to the abundant moisture and energy supplied by the strong monsoon. At the same time, sea surface temperatures above 28 degrees Celsius in the northern part of the South China Sea also provided favorable conditions for its intensification. In the coming days, Saudel's intensity is expected to remain largely unchanged, staying at tropical storm strength. It will then merge with a tropical disturbance over the northeastern South China Sea and linger in the area for several days," said Liu Longsheng, a senior engineer at the National Meteorological Center. [Restrictions: No access Chinese mainland]