Danas was yesterday upgraded to a typhoon and could grow stronger as it moves closely along the nation’s west coastline, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said.
Hsinchu and Chiayi cities, Taichung, Tainan and Kaohsiung, as well as Hsinchu, Miaoli, Changhua, Yunlin, Nantou, Chiayi, Penghu and Pingtung counties have canceled work and school today.
Work and school in Keelung, Taipei, New Taipei City and Taoyuan, and Yilan, Taitung, Hualien, Kinmen and Lienchiang (Matsu) counties would continue as usual, although offices and schools would be closed in Taoyuan’s Luju (蘆竹), Dayuan (大園), Guangyin (觀音) and Sinwu (新屋) districts.
Photo courtesy of the Ministry of National Defense
As of 5pm yesterday, the typhoon’s center was 120km southwest of Penghu, with the storm’s radius expanded to 150km, CWA weather forecaster Liu Yu-chi (劉宇其) said.
It was moving northeast at 21kph along the Taiwan Strait toward China, CWA data showed.
The storm’s coverage began extending to southern Taiwan from 4pm, Liu said.
Between midnight and early this morning, the typhoon’s center was forecast to pass near Penghu before moving northward along Taiwan’s western coastline, Liu said, adding that the nation would be subject to the typhoon’s influence from last night to this morning.
Strong winds are expected along the western coastal areas, particularly the area south of Hsinchu to Kaohsiung, he said.
The wind in Penghu early this morning could reach level 14 to level 15 on the Beaufort scale, while in coastal areas of Tainan, and Yunlin and Chiayi counties it could top level 12 to level 13, he said.
Photo: CNA
“We want to remind everyone that Danas is one of the few typhoons to move north along the west coastline. Without the shield of the Central Mountain Range, the western plain area would be strongly affected by the wind,” Liu said, adding that residents along the west should be prepared to brace for potential damage caused by strong wind.
As the typhoon moves northward, rainfall would gradually move from Hualien and Taitung counties, as well as the Hengchun Peninsula (恆春半島), to the west coast, Liu said.
Heavy to torrential rainfall could occur in Kaohsiung, Pingtung and Penghu, he said.
Photo courtesy of a member of the public
Rain would gradually ease as the typhoon moves to the waters off northern Taiwan, Liu said.
Due to the typhoon, nearly 10,000 households were reported to not have power at one point yesterday.
About 10,000 were stranded in Penghu after ferry services were canceled yesterday.
Today, 124 ferry services around the country are canceled, including ferries between Taitung, Orchid Island (Lanyu, 蘭嶼) and Green Island (綠島). This morning’s Taitung Hot Air Balloon Festival events have also been canceled.
Meanwhile, the Class-3 Civil Servant Examination would be postponed from tomorrow to Thursday.
China Airlines (中華航空) canceled one round-trip flight to Hong Kong (CI601/602) today. Its flight returning from Hong Kong (CI922) would leave early.
Flights returning from Nagoya (CI151), Tokyo (CI107), Okinawa (CI121), Fukuoka (CI111), Manila (CI702) and Takamatsu (CI279) would be postponed, as well as flights to Osaka (CI172/CI173), Kumamoto (CI194/CI195), Bangkok (CI835/CI836), Ho Chi Minh City (CI783/CI784), Manila (CI703/CI704), Guangzhou (CI521/CI522) and Hong Kong (CI915/CI916), the airline said.
All domestic flights are canceled today.
All regular high-speed rail services are also canceled. Instead, three all-stop trains with non-reserved seating (excluding business class cars) would depart every hour from Nangang Station and Zuoying Station.
Two southbound and two northbound all-stop trains with non-reserved seating would leave at 6am and 6:30am respectively.
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