Residents of Taiwan’s coastal areas should watch out for gusty winds and rogue waves caused by strong northeasterly winds and Typhoon Lan today, the Central Weather Bureau said.
Gusts of intensities up to 9 or 11 can be expected along Taiwan’s coastline and waves in the country’s northern and northeastern waters could reach 5m to 7m, the bureau said.
Typhoon Lan would pass closest to Taiwan today, when it is expected to pass through waters east of Japan’s Okinawa Islands, the bureau said.
As of 9am yesterday, Lan was 1,000km east-southeast of Taipei, moving north toward waters south of Japan, bureau data showed.
According to the bureau, rogue waves are the most prevalent along Taiwan’s coastline during the northeasterly windy season in the winter and during the typhoon season from July to September.
Over the past 15 years, more than 300 accidents linked to rogue waves have been reported in Taiwan, with an average of 25 people falling victim to such accidents every year, bureau statistics showed.
Strengthening northeasterly winds yesterday sent the mercury down to 19.4°C in New Taipei’s Tamsui District (淡水) at 2:28am, the lowest temperature recorded in the nation’s flatland areas so far this autumn, the bureau said.
Temperatures also fell elsewhere in the north early yesterday, with a low of 20°C recorded in Hsinchu, 20.1°C in New Taipei’s Banciao District (板橋) and 20.4°C in Taipei, bureau data showed.
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