The Central Weather Administration (CWA) yesterday said it expected to issue a sea warning for Typhoon Fung-Wong tomorrow, which it said would possibly make landfall near central Taiwan.
As of 2am yesterday, Fung-Wong was about 1,760km southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost point, moving west-northwest at 26kph.
It is forecast to reach Luzon in the northern Philippines by tomorrow, the CWA said.
Photo: Central Weather Administration
After entering the South China Sea, Typhoon Fung-Wong is likely to turn northward toward Taiwan, CWA forecaster Chang Chun-yao (張峻堯) said, adding that it would likely make landfall near central Taiwan.
The CWA expects to issue a land warning by Tuesday, but it is not certain when exactly, he said.
The path of Fung-Wong could change, and the CWA is closely observing it, he added.
Photo courtesy of the Central Weather Administration
The CWA said it expects eastern Taiwan’s mountainous regions to see an average of 500mm of rain.
The Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency’s Hualien county branch yesterday said should the average rainfall reach 800mm, more landslides could occur in upstream of the Mataian River (馬太鞍溪).
New barrier lakes that can retain up to 15 million tonnes of water — more than 10 times the water currently in the Mataian barrier lake — could form, it said.
Barrier lake in the Mataian River overflowed in September, devastating Hualien’s Guangfu Township (光復), killing 19 people and injuring 150.
Huang Chun-tse (黃群策), head of the Hualien office, said the agency estimates that if a new barrier lake forms, it could overflow in the following 24 hours.
The agency has forwarded all information to the Hualien County Government, Huang said.
Additional reporting by Hua Meng-ching
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