Krathon upgraded to a typhoon, sea warning issued

Taipei, Sept. 29 (CNA) Tropical Storm Krathon has been upgraded to a typhoon by the Central Weather Administration (CWA) on Sunday, hours after a sea warning was issued earlier in the day as it approached Taiwan and was expected to bring rain and strong winds.

The typhoon may bring showers or thunderstorms to areas to the north of Taoyuan, while mountainous areas and southern Taiwan may see brief showers in the afternoon, the CWA forecast.

Rain in Taitung and Hengchun will intensify further into the night, the CWA added.

As of 11 a.m. Sunday, Krathon was located about 460 kilometers southeast of Pingtung County's Eluanbi, the southernmost tip of Taiwan.

It was moving in a west-northwest direction at 9 kilometers per hour, according to the CWA.

The tropical storm was packing maximum sustained winds of 118.8 kph, with gusts of up to 154.8 kph, CWA data showed.

As a result, the CWA issued a heavy rain advisory for the Keelung North Coast, mountainous areas in Taipei, Hengchun Peninsula, Yilan County, Hualien County, Taitung County, Lanyu and Ludao islands, which will be in effect through Sunday night.

CWA forecaster Wu Wan-hua (伍婉華) said on Sunday that the intensity of Krathon is still increasing and the typhoon is expected to be closest to Taiwan on Tuesday and Wednesday.

By the CWA's predictive models, a land warning may be issued late Sunday night or early Monday morning, Wu said.

The Greater Taipei area, eastern half of Taiwan and the Hengchun Peninsula may see heavy or torrential rain on Monday.

On Tuesday and Wednesday, it will be wet across Taiwan, with northern and eastern regions likely to experience torrential rain, she said.

Wu also warned that Orchid and Green islands may experience gusts of up to 88kph. Open places along the coasts of Taoyuan, Hsinchu County and outlying Penghu and Matsu islands may feel gusts of up to 75 kph.

Also on Sunday, the Ministry of Environment has issued an "orange" alert for the air quality in central Taiwan, indicating that the air there is "unhealthy for sensitive groups."