The Central Weather Bureau yesterday afternoon issued a land alert for Typhoon Saola, as it might threaten residents in Pingtung County and the Hengchun Peninsula.
Offices and schools in Kaohsiung’s Taoyuan District will not open Wednesday as typhoon approaches., the Kaohsiung city government has announced last night.
Meanwhile, Pingtung County government will close offices and schools in six townships on Wednesday, including Hengchun, Manjhou, Checheng, Fangshan, Mudan and Sisigu, due to the forecast for strong winds.
The agency issued a sea alert at 11:30pm on Monday, which applies to sea vessels operating in the south of the Taiwan Strait, off the southeast coast of Taiwan, in the Bashi Channel and near the Pratas Islands (Dongsha Islands, 東沙群島).
As of 8pm yesterday, Saola was centered 350km southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻). It was moving northwest at 14kph, bureau data showed. Maximum wind speeds reached 173kph, with the storm’s radius expanding to 180km.
Wu Wan-hua (伍婉華), a specialist at the Weather Forecast Center, said the edge of the storm was to reach waters near the southeast coast of Taiwan between last night and early this morning.
Although the bureau projected that Typhoon Saola’s center is unlikely to make a landfall in Taiwan, Wu said that the typhoon would come closest to the nation today and tomorrow, with the outer bands bringing rain to the nation.
It began raining last night on the east coast as Typhoon Saola approached the southeast coast, Wu said, adding that the rain is forecast to continue all day today.
Temporary showers are forecast in northern and southern Taiwan as well as in Lienchiang County (Matsu) today, while chances of afternoon showers are high in central Taiwan, she said.
High temperatures are forecast in the typhoon’s leeward area from Taoyuan to Kaohsiung, with highs reaching 36°C, Wu said.
Highs in Kinmen County could reach 34°C, she said.
In addition to the east coast, the rain is forecast to continue all day tomorrow in southern Taiwan when the typhoon is to move near the southwest coast, Wu said.
Rain is expected to gradually ease when the typhoon moves away on Friday, she said.
Rogue waves could occur off the coastal areas of Taiwan, as well as the outlying islands of Penghu, Kinmen and Matsu. Waves off the coast of Orchid Island (Lanyu, 蘭嶼), Green Island (綠島) and the Hengchun Peninsula could reach 4m, Wu said.
Meanwhile, the bureau said that it is unlikely to issue a sea alert for Severe Tropical Storm Haikui, which is forecast to be upgraded to a typhoon in two days.
Whether Typhoon Saola and Tropical Storm Haikui interact and create the Fujiwhara effect, a phenomenon that can occur when two storms are within 1,000km of each other, affecting their strength and movement, awaits further observation, the bureau said.
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