Typhoon Ragasa continued to strengthen early today as it moved closer to Taiwan's southern tip, with its storm circle forecast to reach the Hengchun Peninsula (恆春半島) before noon, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said.
As of 10am, the typhoon's center was about 340km south-southeast of Cape Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), moving west at 20kph, the CWA said.
Photo courtesy of the Central Weather Administration
With a radius of 320km, the typhoon was packing maximum sustained winds of 209kph and gusts of up to 263kph, the CWA said.
A land warning remains in effect for Taitung County, the Hengchun Peninsula, Pingtung County and Kaohsiung.
Sea warnings cover the southern Taiwan Strait, waters off southeastern Taiwan, the Bashi Channel between Taiwan and the Philippines and the Pratas Islands (Dongsha Islands, 東沙島).
CWA senior specialist Wu Wan-hua (伍婉華) said Ragasa is expected to intensify slightly and expand as it approaches.
The typhoon's impact would be most significant today and tomorrow, with increasing rainfall across eastern Taiwan and the south.
Heavy rain is forecast through today for Hualien, Taitung, Yilan, Pingtung, the greater Taipei area, the Hengchun Peninsula and the offshore Orchid (Lanyu, 蘭嶼) and Green (綠島) islands, as well as mountainous areas in Taoyuan, Taichung, Nantou and Kaohsiung, Wu said.
Tomorrow, heavy rain is expected to continue in eastern Taiwan, the Hengchun Peninsula, Kaohsiung, Pingtung and mountainous areas across Taiwan, she added.
Wave heights of 5m to 6m have already been observed off Taitung and the northern coast, the CWA said.
Seas in the southeast and the Bashi Channel could see waves exceeding 6m today and tomorrow, with the storm's center possibly generating waves greater than 10m, the CWA said.
Taiwan Railway Corp announced that all trains on the South Link Line will be suspended after 12pm due to the typhoon.
On the southbound route from Xinzuoying to Taitung, trains No. 313, 317, 323, 327, 431 and 3021 would be suspended after noon, while trains No. 165 and No. 385 are to terminate at Chaozhou, the railway said.
Services on the Taitung-Shulin and Taitung-Hualien sections would continue to operate as normal.
On the northbound route from Taitung to Xinzuoying, trains No. 308, 324, 422, 428, 432 and 434 are to operate only as far as Taitung, while trains No. 168, 314, 386, 708, 3028 and 3038 would be suspended.
Some parts of the routes, including Chaozhou-Changhua, Chaozhou-Qidu and Chaozhou-Taichung, would continue running as scheduled.
Meanwhile, tourist trains No. 1 and 2 are to be suspended between Fangliao and Taitung, while the Taitung-Fangliao segment of the blue-livery train No. 5898 would also be canceled.
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