Typhoon Nari stood off the northeastern tip of Taiwan yesterday bringing heavy rains and strong winds and made landfall at 9:40pm between Ilan County and Keelung, the Central Weather Bureau said yesterday.
Dubbed the "weirdest storm in Taiwan's history," with an unpredictable path and strength, Typhoon Nari yesterday trailed on a bow-shaped course back and forth in the Pacific Ocean, once tricking the bureau to lift a storm warning because it showed little movement.
PHOTO: GEORGE TSORNG, TAIPEI TIMES
However, as the typhoon continued to hover over the sea, the warning was reissued again last Thursday. The typhoon is expected to bring high winds and heavy rains to Taiwan for two more days amid warnings of disruption to transportation systems as well as possible power outages, flooding and mudslides.
At 5pm yesterday, the typhoon's center was about 80km east of Keelung with a radius of 150km, packing winds of 145kph and gusts of up to 180kph, moving west-southwest at 6kph.
The typhoon's rainfall in the northern mountains could be as much as a meter, posing great threats of flood and possible mudslides in Ilan and Hualien Counties.
Taipei's Sungshan Airport shut down yesterday at 2pm, forcing all domestic flights taking off from Taipei to be canceled and major international flights taking off from CKS airport to be rescheduled.
Railway transportation including the North Link Railway, the Ilan Railway and the Western Railway, stopped regular services at 2:30pm.
No casualties had been reported as of press time yesterday since residents in the areas which were susceptible to mudslides -- including Taipei's Tamsui township, Taoyuan's Fuhsing and Yisheng townships and Nantou's Hsinyi, Shuili and Luku townships -- were safely evacuated to local emergency centers.
However, it was reported yesterday that a blackout in Ilan County had affected at least 25,000 households.
In preparation for the typhoon, President Chen Shui-bian (
Typhoon Toraji ripped through Taiwan in late July killing about 200 people and causing more than NT$6 billion (US$173 million) in damage. Toraji was one of the worst storms ever to hit the island.
The storms draw strength from the warm waters of the South China Sea, but usually weaken after making landfall.
RETHINK? The defense ministry and Navy Command Headquarters could take over the indigenous submarine project and change its production timeline, a source said Admiral Huang Shu-kuang’s (黃曙光) resignation as head of the Indigenous Submarine Program and as a member of the National Security Council could affect the production of submarines, a source said yesterday. Huang in a statement last night said he had decided to resign due to national security concerns while expressing the hope that it would put a stop to political wrangling that only undermines the advancement of the nation’s defense capabilities. Taiwan People’s Party Legislator Vivian Huang (黃珊珊) yesterday said that the admiral, her older brother, felt it was time for him to step down and that he had completed what he
Taiwan has experienced its most significant improvement in the QS World University Rankings by Subject, data provided on Sunday by international higher education analyst Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) showed. Compared with last year’s edition of the rankings, which measure academic excellence and influence, Taiwanese universities made great improvements in the H Index metric, which evaluates research productivity and its impact, with a notable 30 percent increase overall, QS said. Taiwanese universities also made notable progress in the Citations per Paper metric, which measures the impact of research, achieving a 13 percent increase. Taiwanese universities gained 10 percent in Academic Reputation, but declined 18 percent
CHINA REACTS: The patrol and reconnaissance plane ‘transited the Taiwan Strait in international airspace,’ the 7th Fleet said, while Taipei said it saw nothing unusual The US 7th Fleet yesterday said that a US Navy P-8A Poseidon flew through the Taiwan Strait, a day after US and Chinese defense heads held their first talks since November 2022 in an effort to reduce regional tensions. The patrol and reconnaissance plane “transited the Taiwan Strait in international airspace,” the 7th Fleet said in a news release. “By operating within the Taiwan Strait in accordance with international law, the United States upholds the navigational rights and freedoms of all nations.” In a separate statement, the Ministry of National Defense said that it monitored nearby waters and airspace as the aircraft
UNDER DISCUSSION: The combatant command would integrate fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups to defend waters closest to the coastline, a source said The military could establish a new combatant command as early as 2026, which would be tasked with defending Taiwan’s territorial waters 24 nautical miles (44.4km) from the nation’s coastline, a source familiar with the matter said yesterday. The new command, which would fall under the Naval Command Headquarters, would be led by a vice admiral and integrate existing fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups, along with the Naval Maritime Surveillance and Reconnaissance Command, said the source, who asked to remain anonymous. It could be launched by 2026, but details are being discussed and no final timetable has been announced, the source