Outer rim of Typhoon Krathon reaches Taiwan

Taipei, Sept. 30 (CNA) The outer rim of Typhoon Krathon made landfall in Taiwan's Taitung County and the Hengchun Peninsula at around noon Monday, according to the Central Weather Administration (CWA), with the eye of the storm expected to hit land Wednesday.

As of 3:15 p.m. Monday, Krathon's eye was located about 160 kilometers south-southeast of Pingtung County's Cape Eluanbi, Taiwan's southernmost tip, according to CWA data.

It was moving in a west-northwest direction at 4 kilometers per hour, packing maximum sustained winds of 162 kph, with gusts of up to 198 kph, the data showed.

The CWA defines the size of a typhoon as the radius of the area in which the wind speed exceeds 50 kph.

With the outer edge of that radius having made landfall in southern Taiwan, CWA forecaster Wu Wan-hua (伍婉華) said Krathon was posing a threat to Kaohsiung, Pingtung County and Taitung County as of Monday afternoon.

She said the typhoon will continue strengthening, and is expected to turn northwards toward northeast Taiwan.

Eastern Taiwan, the Hengchun Peninsula and mountainous areas in the northeast and central and southern Taiwan can expect extremely heavy rain, which means that accumulated rainfall may reach over 200 millimeters in 24 hours, or over 100mm in 3 hours.

On Tuesday and Wednesday, as the eye of the storm approaches, the eastern and southern parts of Taiwan will continue to experience heavy rain, which will only abate after the typhoon leaves Taiwan, Wu said.

As of 4:30 p.m. Monday, Hualien County had seen the most rain of anywhere in Taiwan in the previous 16.5 hours. Thirty-nine of the 50 monitoring stations around Taiwan recording the most rainfall during that period (from 110.5mm to 156 mm) were in the county.

Of the remaining 11 locations, nine were in Taitung County.

Wu warned of strong winds due to the storm, with Orchid Island and Green Island just off Taitung's coast expected to experience gusts of up to 117.7 kph.

Also, gusts of up to 88.2 kph were forecast for the Hengchun Peninsula, and gusts of up to 74.9 kph were expected in coastal areas north of Miaoli, the Keelung coast and the outlying Penghu, Kinmen and Matsu islands, according to Wu.

Tides will also rise higher along the southwestern coast, with the possibility of seawater backflow, Wu said.

In addition, swells may be seen along the Keelung coast, Taiwan's east coast and the Hengchun Peninsula. Waves of up to 7 meters have been observed in Orchid Island, according to the CWA.

For the latest information on work and class cancellations this evening and on Tuesday, please visit the government website: https://www.dgpa.gov.tw/typh/daily/ndse.html