The Central Weather Bureau (CWB) repeated its sea warning for Typhoon Shanshan yesterday, saying the storm might spare Taiwan and pass along the corridor to the nation's east today.
The bureau originally planned to issue a land warning at 11:30am yesterday, but decided against it at about 11:00am after noting that Shanshan -- the 13th tropical storm reported in the Western Pacific this year -- was changing course and veering north.
Nonetheless, the sea warning to sea vessels operating along the north and the east coasts of Taiwan and in the Bashi Channel was upheld.
Tourists should avoid visiting these areas as there could be large waves, the bureau added.
At 8:30pm last night, the center of Shanshan was located approximately 290km east of Taitung.
Packing winds of 162kph and gusts of up to 198kph, the typhoon was moving north at about 20kph.
By 8:30pm today, the bureau predicted that it would move north and be located northeast of Ilan County.
Typhoon Shanshan is expected to cause huge waves and torrential rain in the southeastern, eastern and northeastern areas of Taiwan, bureau spokesman Wu De-rong (
He said the bureau estimates that rainfall could reach be 100mm to 200mm in the Taipei and Keelung areas and between 150mm and 250mm in Ilan.
Heavy rain is also expected in mountainous regions.
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