Typhoon In-Fa’s chance of impacting Taiwan and prompting the need for a land alert has lessened, as it has veered north faster than expected, the Central Weather Bureau (CWB) said yesterday.
In-Fa was expected to come closest to Taiwan on Wednesday night or Thursday, but it has turned north, away from the nation, CWB forecaster Lin Ping-yu (林稟煜) said.
The change in the typhoon’s trajectory has reduced the likelihood of the bureau issuing a land warning, Lin added.
Photo: Daniel Ceng Shou-yi, EPA-EFE
Nevertheless, the typhoon would still bring heavy rain and strong wind, he said.
Since Wednesday night, a sea warning has been in effect for nearby waters as In-Fa approaches, but would likely be lifted today or tomorrow as it leaves the region, Lin said.
As of 8pm yesterday, In-Fa was about 350km east of Taipei and moving northwest at 14kph, the CWB said.
The typhoon had maximum sustained winds of 144kph, with gusts of up to 180kph, CWB data showed.
Despite the reduced chance of a land alert, In-Fa is expected to affect waters north, northeast and southeast of Taiwan, the CWB said, adding that fishing boats should take precautionary measures.
A heavy rain warning has been issued for Keelung and Hsinchu City, as well as Taichung, while an extremely heavy rain advisory has been issued for Taipei, New Taipei City and Taoyuan, and Hsinchu, Miaoli and Yilan counties.
The CWB defines heavy rain as accumulated rainfall of 80mm or more within a 24-hour period or 40mm or more in an hour, while extremely heavy rain is accumulated rainfall of 200mm or more within 24 hours.
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