Heavy winds and rain brought by Typhoon Longwang will be felt in the east, center and north of the country this afternoon, the Central Weather Bureau said yesterday, with the entire country feeling the brunt of the storm tomorrow if it continues on its present course.
The bureau issued a sea warning at 8:30 pm last night, reminding vessels to stay clear of waters to the east of Taiwan and the area around Okinawa.
A land warning might be issued before noon today, forecaster Wang Chun-shien (
"While the exact landing point of Longwang still needs to be pinpointed, it is highly possible that the storm will bring heavy rain and strong winds to the country," Wang said.
The south might have intermittent showers in mountainous areas, he said.
At 2pm yesterday the typhoon was 990km east of Hualien. The bureau predicted the typhoon will be located 470km east-southeast of Hualien by 2pm today.
The typhoon has been steadily traveling west at a speed of about 20kph to 23 kph, with the maximum wind-speed at its center 185kph, and instantaneous maximum wind-speed of 230kph, the bureau said.
If Longwang continues moving in its present direction, its radius will cover the whole of the country tomorrow. However, there is still a slight chance that high pressure in the Pacific Ocean might cause the typhoon to veer from the predicted course, according to the bureau.
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