A sea warning could be issued this morning after a tropical storm approaching Taiwan was upgraded to a typhoon, the Central Weather Bureau (CWB) said yesterday.
It is still uncertain whether a land warning for Typhoon Muifa would be necessary, the bureau said.
As of 6pm yesterday, Muifa was 515km east of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost point, and was moving northwest at 11kph, bureau data showed.
The typhoon had maximum sustained winds of 119kph, with gusts of up to 155kph, and was strengthening, it said.
The storm is expected to slow down and linger east of Taiwan today, with its outer bands bringing rain and winds to northern and eastern Taiwan, it said.
From today to Thursday, mountainous areas in northeastern and northern Taiwan, including Keelung, and the north coast are likely to have strong winds and heavy rain, it said.
In other parts of the country, the weather would be sunny to cloudy, with brief afternoon showers, the bureau forecast.
Ferry service on three routes connecting Taiwan proper with Lienchiang County and Orchid Island (Lanyu, 蘭嶼) would be suspended today, local authorities said yesterday.
The operator that runs the ferry service between Keelung and Lienchiang announced that it had canceled Taima Star Ferry and Taima Ferry services for today, the Port Authority said in a statement.
Ferry operators have also canceled services to Orchid Island from Pingtung County’s Houbihu Port (後壁湖) and Taitung County’s Fugang Fishing Port (富岡漁港) today, the authority said.
Ferry services from Fugang Fishery Harbor to Taitung County’s Green Island (綠島) would be subject to weather conditions, the authority said.
It said it has coordinated with ferry operators to open an additional 10 voyages yesterday to allow people to leave Orchid Island and Green Island before the storm.
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