Typhoon Bilis (
As of 2pm yesterday, the fourth typhoon threatening Taiwan this year was located approximately 1,210km from the northeast coast of Manila, moving northwest toward Taiwan at 17kph.
Judging from the storm's structure and direction, the bureau's meteorologists said that the chances of Bilis affecting Taiwan directly had increased dramatically.
Bilis is threatening Taiwan just days after typhoon Ewiniar (艾維尼) skirted the island last week, bringing heavy rainfall that caused damage and flooding in the south over the weekend.
A previous typhoon named Bilis hit Taiwan in 2000, inflicting heavy damage in eastern Taiwan and claiming more than 20 lives.
The bureau said it would have a better grasp of the storm's course by today or tomorrow. It would then decide whether it would issue a sea warning.
The bureau said that the typhoon, which has a radius of 150km, could affect Taiwan as early as Friday.
The typhoon's expected arrival date could bring it crashing into the island during the joint standardized examination for junior high school students, which is scheduled to be held this weekend.
The Ministry of Education has announced that an emergency meeting will be held by Thursday to decide whether the exam will be held.
Hsu Chi-ming (
According to the ministry's regulations, if a county government announces a day off for government offices or for schools because of the typhoon, the ministry is to assess whether all tests should be suspended, or whether they should only postpone the test dates for some subjects.
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