The Central Weather Administration (CWA) at 5:30pm yesterday issued a land warning for Typhoon Usagi as the storm approached Taiwan from the south after passing over the Philippines.
As of 5pm, Usagi was 420km south-southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan proper’s southernmost tip, with an average radius of 150km, the CWA said.
The land warning covered areas of Pingtung County and the Hengchun Peninsula (恆春), and came with an amended sea warning, updating a warning issued yesterday morning to cover the southern part of the Taiwan Strait.
No local governments had announced any class or office closures as of press time last night.
The typhoon was moving northwest at 18kph, packing maximum sustained winds of 155kph and gusts of up to 191kph, CWA data showed.
Usagi was weakening and could be downgraded to a tropical storm before it makes landfall in southern Taiwan early tomorrow, the agency said.
The impact of Typhoon Usagi is expected to be severest in the 24 hours from noon today, it said, adding that the wind radius was expected to reach Taiwan this morning.
Vessels operating in the Bashi Channel and waters east of the Philippines should stay alert, as waves in those areas are expected to intensify, the weather agency said.
A Pacific high-pressure system north of the typhoon might weaken the storm, the CWA said.
The northern system was moving southward and could also change Usagi’s course, it said.
The typhoon would continue approaching the Bashi Channel then veer north-northeast before drifting northeastward, CWA forecaster Wu Wan-hua (伍婉華) said.
Usagi would likely come closer to Taiwan than earlier forecasts indicated, Wu said.
Typhoon Usagi is expected to bring rainfall to northern and eastern regions, including localized showers in mountainous areas, Wu added.
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