TAIPEI - Taiwan's meteorological agency issued on Thursday the first sea warning for Typhoon Soudelor.

As of noon, the center of the typhoon was located at 910 km southeast of Taiwan's Hualien County and was moving towards the island at 23 km per hour.

The agency said Soudelor is packing maximum sustained winds of 162 km per hour, with gusts reaching 198 km per hour. A land warning might follow in the evening at the soonest.

Forecasters warned the typhoon could bring heavy rain to Taiwan, especially from Friday night through Saturday.

Latest meteorological data suggested Soudelor could pick up strength with an expanding radius as it moves closer to the island, posing a threat in seas off Taiwan's eastern coast and the Bashi Channel.