A sea warning for Typhoon Koinu might be issued late on Monday followed by a land warning on Tuesday afternoon, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said, as the storm appears on track to become the second typhoon to make landfall this year.
The storm’s outer radius is to begin affecting Taiwan proper from early on Wednesday, bringing heavy rains to the east coast, Hengchun Peninsula (恆春半島) and mountainous regions, the agency said.
Koinu has over the past six hours expanded and strengthened into a moderate typhoon, CWA forecaster Kuan Shin-ping (官欣平) said.
Photo courtesy of the Central Weather Administration
Conditions are forecast to be poor on the east coast and Hengchun Peninsula on Wednesday and Thursday, but it is up to local governments to decide whether to call a typhoon day, Kuan added.
As of 8am, Typhoon Koinu was 758km southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost point, and was moving northwest at 11kph, the CWA said.
It had maximum near-center sustained winds of 144kph with gusts of 180kph, it added.
Ferry services from Chiayi County's Budai Township (布袋) and Tainan’s Anping (安平) to Penghu County have been suspended through Wednesday, while services to Siaoliouciou Island (小琉球) are to be suspended on Tuesday.
Ferries between Taitung and Orchid Island (Lanyu, 蘭嶼) and Green Island (綠島), and between Houbihu Harbor (後壁湖港) in Kenting (墾丁) and Orchid Island have also been suspended through Thursday.
The season’s first northeast monsoon has brought cooler temperatures and showers to the north and east, CWA forecaster Huang En-hong (黃恩鴻) said.
Although its effects are to weaken late on Monday, the outer bands of Typhoon Koinu are to bring more rain to the regions from Tuesday, Huang said.
A shift north in the typhoon’s projected path means it is to have a greater impact on the east coast, but would likely weaken more significantly after interacting with the rugged terrain in the south, he said.
Another northeast monsoon is to strengthen from Friday to Sunday, potentially interacting with the remnants of Koinu to affect worse conditions, he added.
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