Storm dissipates after making landfall: CWA

Taipei, Oct. 4 (CNA) Taiwan's topography resulted in Typhoon Krathon rapidly weakening and eventually dissipating in the air over Taiwan after it made landfall in southern Taiwan on Thursday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said Friday.

According to CWA observation data, Krathon made landfall around 12:40 p.m. Thursday in Siaogang District in Kaohsiung with typhoon strength, but it slowed significantly after making landfall, and by 5 p.m. Thursday it had weakened to a tropical storm.

The weather agency said Krathon maintained its typhoon structure for a while due to the lack of barriers in southwest Taiwan and its slow movement, but mountains in the region quickly took a bite out of the storm's strength and its periphery began to shrink.

By 5 a.m. Friday, the storm's cloud structure had dissipated, weakening into a tropical depression, the agency said.

Krathon's structure continued to break down after that, and by 8 a.m. it had weakened further into a regular low-pressure system, the CWA noted.

Krathon is the second typhoon in history to dissipate over Taiwan.

According to CWA records, it is very rare for a typhoon to weaken into a tropical depression over Taiwan's landmass.

The only other typhoon to "die" over Taiwan was Typhoon Trami in 2001, which formed and moved northwest, making landfall near Dawu in Taitung County before quickly weakening into a tropical depression.