Heavy rain forecast as Typhoon Saudel heads toward Japan and Taiwan

Medium-strength Typhoon Saudel moved towards southern Japan and northern Taiwan on Tuesday where it is expected to bring heavy rain, as Taiwan reported one dead and four missing from a separate weather system over its south and east.

Japan's weather agency warned of destructive gusts as Typhoon Saudel approached the southwestern islands of Okinawa prefecture, also causing extremely strong winds and high seas.

The typhoon was moving slowly at 20 kph (12 mph), packing maximum sustained winds of 162 kph and gusts of up to 216 kph.

The agency urged residents in affected areas to remain on high alert for landslides, flooding and rising rivers from heavy rainfall.

Saudel is expected to pass to the north of Taiwan and dump water on its north starting late Thursday and into Friday, the island's Central Weather Administration said.

In southern and eastern Taiwan, the government reported one person dead and four missing from a tropical depression that brought flooding in the cities of Tainan and Kaohsiung, home to more than four million people.

During the three days from Sunday to Tuesday, almost a metre (3.9 feet) of rain fell in Kaohsiung, which the government said exceeded rainfall during 2009's devastating Typhoon Morakot that killed about 700 people and caused damage of up to $3 billion.

Saudel is forecast to hit the coast in the eastern Chinese province of Fujian from late Thursday to early Friday.

China's National Marine Environmental Forecasting Centre issued an orange alert, the second-highest warning level, for high waves.

It said waves of seven to 12 metres (23-40 feet) are expected in the eastern section of the East China Sea.

-Reporting by Chang-Ran Kim and Ben Blanchard; Additional reporting by Beijing newsroom; Editing by Stephen Coates/Reuters