Weather forecast for the Asia-Pacific region

American embassy staff step into floodwaters after office service was suspended due to Tropical Storm Ferdie (international name: typhoon Saola) Wednesday, Aug. 1, 2012 along Manila’s Roxas Boulevard, Philippines. AP/Pat Roque

Typhoon Saola is expected to make landfall along China’s southern Zhejiang coast early Friday morning. In addition to strong, damaging winds, expect significant rain that will likely cause flooding and dangerous surf and coastal conditions.

Rain and thunderstorms associated with Saola will extend from Zhejiang and Anhui through eastern Guangdong as the system moves inland and weakens.

To the north, Typhoon Damrey will exit western Jiangsu and move through northern Anhui on Friday morning. The system will continue to produce widely scattered moderate to locally heavy rainfall in much of east-central China as it progresses inland and weakens to tropical depression strength.

In Australia, showery weather will continue in the southeast. A cold front extending through Tasmania will kick up generally light scattered showers in Tasmania and along parts of the Victoria coast as it exits the area during the morning. Another cold front will approach this area from the Great Australian Bight late Friday night, bringing the chance of rain.