The Central Weather Bureau (CWB) at 5:30pm yesterday issued a land warning for Typhoon Khanun, while Taipei, New Taipei City, Keelung and Yilan County closed schools and government offices today.
As of 5pm yesterday, the storm was about 450km east-northeast of Taipei, moving west-northwest at 8kph.
The Directorate-General of Personnel Administration’s Web site said that the four regions had been designated “alert areas.”
With a radius of 280km, the storm was packing maximum sustained winds of 173kph and gusts of up to 209kph, CWB data showed.
Although Khanun had weakened slightly over the prior few hours, it remained a substantial threat to the country, forecasters said, adding that the typhoon is expected to be at its closest to Taiwan from this evening to tomorrow morning.
Northern Taiwan — in particular New Taipei City, Keelung and Yilan County — are likely to be hardest hit, with forecasters expecting up to 80mm of rain in 24 hours and up to 40mm in one hour.
Photo: CNA
As the typhoon’s approach coincides with the spring tide, the CWB warned people in low-lying areas about the possibility of coastal flooding.
The eye of the storm is not expected to come closer than about 230km from Taiwan’s northern coast, the CWB forecast.
High waves along Taiwan’s coast, including Penghu County, and strong winds in the Hengchun Peninsula in the south, and on Orchid Island (Lanyu, 蘭嶼) and Green Island off Taiwan’s southeast coast were reported yesterday.
The approach of the storm led to cancelations of ferry services between Orchid Island and the ports of Fugang in Taitung County and Houbihu in Pingtung County, as well as between Keelung and Lienchiang County, the Maritime Port Bureau said.
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