Heavy rain alerts issued as Usagi nears, possible landfall Saturday

Taipei, Nov. 15 (CNA) Tropical Storm Usagi is expected to make landfall in southern Taiwan early Saturday on its current course, with Pingtung and Taitung forecast to receive increasingly heavy rainfall from Friday night through Saturday, according to the Central Weather Administration (CWA).

At 10 p.m. Friday, Usagi was located over waters 100 kilometers west of Cape Eluanbi, the southernmost tip of Taiwan, moving east-northeast at a speed of 8 km per hour, the CWA said.

The weakening storm's average radius has reduced to 100 km, while carrying maximum sustained winds of 83 kph, with gusts reaching up to 108 kph, the weather agency's latest update showed.

The CWA forecast indicated a high possibility of Usagi making landfall in southern Taiwan early Saturday.

Heavy rainfall is expected to hit areas south of Hualien and southern Taiwan, according to CWA forecaster Liu Yu-chih (劉宇其).

The CWA issued a heavy rain alert for Hualien and Pingtung, along with a warning of extremely heavy rain for Taitung.

In addition, strong winds are expected on the Hengchun Peninsula, coastal areas of Pingtung and northern Taiwan, as well as the Matsu Islands, Penghu Islands, Green Island and Orchid Island before Saturday noon, the CWA said.

Meanwhile, domestic carriers Mandarin Airlines and UNI Air announced another day of flight disruptions due to the storm.

Mandarin Airlines has cancelled flights AE-391 and AE-392, and UNI Air flights B7-8721 and B7-8722 between Taipei Songshan Airport and Taitung Airport, on Saturday.

Flights AE-301, AE-302, B7-8911 and B7-8912 between Kaohsiung and Kinmen are canceled on Saturday, along with AE-331, AE-332, AE-333 and AE-334 between Kaohsiung and Penghu, according to the carriers.

Meanwhile, 77 ferry services on eight routes, including two linking the Matsu Islands and the Chinese city of Fuzhou, have been canceled on Saturday.

For more details on the current weather in Taiwan, please visit the Central Weather Administration website.