Authorities yesterday evacuated more than 3,000 people ahead of approaching Tropical Storm Fung-wong, which is expected to make landfall between Kaohsiung and Pingtung County this evening.
Fung-wong was yesterday morning downgraded from a typhoon to a tropical storm as it approached the nation’s southwest coast, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said, as it issued a land alert for the storm.
The alert applies to residents in Tainan, Kaohsiung, Pingtung and Taitung counties, and the Hengchun Peninsula (恆春).
Photo: Liao Chen-huei, Taipei Times
As of press time last night, Taichung, Tainan, Kaohsiung, and Yilan, Miaoli, Changhua, Yunlin, Pingtung and Penghu counties, as well as Chiayi city and county had declared today a typhoon day, canceling work and classes.
Taipei, New Taipei City, Taoyuan, Keelung, and Taitung, Nantou, Kinmen and Lienchiang (Matsu) counties, as well as Hsinchu city and county announced that today would be a regular work day, as has Hualien County except for Guangfu (光復), Wanrong (萬榮) and Fonglin (鳳林) townships.
The combined influence of the northeast monsoon with the storm have led to average wind speeds of 9 on the Beaufort scale in Taichung, Kaohsiung, and Changhua, Yunlin, Pingtung, Penghu and Lienchiang counties, the agency said.
By 1pm yesterday, the highest accumulated rainfall was reported on Yilan County’s Dongao (東澳), Taitung County’s Nioutou Hill (牛頭山) and New Taipei City’s Dacukeng (大粗坑) at 72.4cm, 40cm and 36cm respectively.
Fung-wong is expected to bring heavy rain, particularly to northern and eastern Taiwan, along with brief bouts of intense rainfall in central and southern Taiwan as the storm approaches, CWA forecaster Chu Mei-lin (朱美霖) said.
As of 9pm yesterday, the storm was centered 260km west-southwest of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), moving northeast at 23kph. The maximum wind speed reached 90kph, with a 200km radius.
Photo: CNA
Fung-wong would be the second storm to land in Taiwan in November since meteorological records began, Chu said.
Following landfall, Fung-wong would quickly weaken to a tropical depression system before exiting via Taitung County early tomorrow morning, she added.
Torrential rainfall and strong winds brought by Fung-wong had destroyed a makeshift passage on Hualien County’s Mataian River (馬太鞍), while an overflow from the river flooded a section of Provincial Highway No. 9 near the 231km mark, prompting the Highway Bureau to close the road for safety checks.
Photo courtesy of a member of the public
The Taiwan Railway Corp has suspended operations on its Shenao (深澳) and Pingsi (平溪) branch lines as well as service between Fonglin and Rueisuei (瑞穗) townships in Hualien County.
The shuttle bus between Fonglin and Rueisuei would be canceled due to the closure of the makeshift passage on Mataian.
Ninety-nine ferry runs were canceled due to the inclement weather, the Maritime and Port Bureau said.
They included ferries between Matsu and Keelung, Pingtung’s Donggang Township (東港) and Siaoliouciou Island (小琉球), Taitung’s Fugang Harbor (富岡) and Green Island (綠島), and the “small three links” services departing from Matsu and Kinmen County.
Domestic flights leaving for the east coast or outlying islands after 5pm yesterday, as well as return flights, were canceled.
China Airlines (中華航空) yesterday announced that several flights would be canceled from Kaohsiung and Taoyuan today, including to Japan’s Narita International Airport, Osaka and Okinawa, and Bangkok, as well as round trips to Hong Kong departing from Kaohsiung and Taoyuan.
A flight to Chongqing, China, departing from Kaohsiung would leave early, while arrivals from Chongqing, Manila, Japan’s Kumamoto, Osaka and Narita, and Incheon, South Korea, would be delayed.
EVA Airways (長榮航空) said that all flights departing from Taipei International Airport (Songshan airport) and Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport would operate on schedule today.
However, flights departing from Kaohsiung would mostly be canceled, except BR140 to Seoul, BR108 to Narita, BR182 to Osaka and BR845 to Hong Kong. BR107 returning to Kaohsiung from Narita would take off at 5pm.
Tigerair Taiwan (台灣虎航) has canceled several flights departing from and returning to Kaohsiung today and tomorrow, including round-trips flights to Da Nang, Vietnam, and Japan’s Naha, Okayama, Sendai, Osaka and Narita. Some flights would take off early or be delayed.
Travelers should check with their airlines for any schedule changes.
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