Typhoon Mawar yesterday slightly disrupted domestic transportation in Taiwan and prompted the cancelation of work and school on Orchid Island (Lanyu, 蘭嶼).
Offices and schools in Taitung County-administered Orchid Island were closed yesterday afternoon due to strong winds and waves as the typhoon neared Taiwan.
Eighteen domestic flights and ferry services on sea routes were canceled.
Photo courtesy of Northeast and Yilan Coast National Scenic Area Administration
Large waves prompted the Kenting National Park Administration to close Baishawan (白砂灣), South Bay (南灣), Kenting Beach (Dawan Beach, 大灣), Small Beach (小灣) and Sail Rock Beach (船帆石小沙灘) in Pingtung County’s Hengchun Township (恆春), as well as Manjhou Township’s (滿州) Yucun Park (漁村公園) beach.
Turtle Island (Gueishan Island, 龜山島) off Taiwan’s northeast coast is closed to visitors until Friday.
As of 5:30pm yesterday, Mawar’s center was 450km southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), the southernmost point of Taiwan proper. It was moving northward at 8kph. It had maximum wind speeds of 144kph and the storm’s radius was 300km, Central Weather Bureau (CWB) data showed.
A sea warning for Mawar was issued on Monday night, applying to vessels operating in the Bashi Channel, and near the southeast and northeast coasts.
Mawar’s outer system yesterday brought heavy rainfall to mountainous areas from Yilan County to Taichung, while Tainan had 95mm of rain in three hours yesterday afternoon due to a convective cloud system, the bureau said.
As Mawar is expected to be closest to Taiwan today, the chances of rain are high in northern Taiwan, CWB forecaster Lin Ping-yu (林秉煜) said, adding that rain in the northeast and east could continue until tomorrow.
People in northern Taiwan should beware of damage caused by heavy or extremely heavy rainfall, while those in southern Taiwan should watch for heavy rainfall, Lin said.
Temperatures in Tainan, Kaohsiung and Kinmen County could reach 36°C today, he said.
A northerly wind would result when the typhoon moves further north tomorrow, Lin said, adding that rainfall rates would be higher north of Yilan.
The rain is forecast to ease by Friday or Saturday, he said.
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