Air and sea travel in some areas of Taiwan was disrupted yesterday as Tropical Storm Atsani swirled past the southern coast of the country, bringing strong wind and heavy rain, transportation authorities said.
As of 10am, 22 domestic flights had been canceled, although cross-Taiwan Strait and international flights were operating on schedule, the Civil Aeronautics Administration said.
Twenty-eight ferry services on six routes between Taiwan proper and its outlying islands, including Matsu and Penghu, have been temporarily halted, the Maritime Port Bureau said.
Land travel was uninterrupted.
Taiwan High Speed Rail Corp (台灣高鐵) said that its services were to remain normal throughout yesterday.
The eye of the storm was forecast to brush past the southern tip of Taiwan, with the outer bands sweeping across the southern part of the nation, the Central Weather Bureau (CWB) said.
Photo: CNA
Based on that forecast, the Forestry Bureau said it was temporarily closing the Kenting (墾丁) and Shuangliu (雙流) forest recreation areas.
As of 9pm, Atsani was about 70km south-southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), the southernmost part of Taiwan, heading west-northwest, the CWB said.
It was moving at 12kph, carrying maximum sustained winds of 101kph, with gusts of up to 126kph, the bureau said.
A land warning has been issued for the storm, which is expected to bring strong wind and heavy rain to southern areas of Taiwan, including the Hengchun Peninsula (恆春半島), Orchid Island (蘭嶼, also known as Lanyu) and Green Island (綠島), it said.
Heavy rain advisories have also been issued for Pingtung and Taitung counties, it said, adding that rain can also be expected in Hualien County, Orchid Island, Green Island and Keelung.
Kinmen, Matsu and Keelung are likely to experience winds of 62kph to 88kph, the CWB said.
As of press time last night, the Central Disaster Prevention and Relief Center said that the storm had caused one injury.
A woman in Taitung was injured when a temporary structure collapsed in strong wind, the center said.
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