Typhoon Danas to hit Taiwan hardest Sunday through Monday

Taipei, July 6 (CNA) Typhoon Danas will hit Taiwan the hardest from Sunday through Monday during the day as it moves in a northeast direction along Taiwan's western coast, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said Sunday afternoon.

As of 2 p.m. Sunday, the eye of Typhoon Danas was situated 180 kilometers south-southwest of Penghu and moving northeast at speeds ranging from 21 to 27 kilometers per hour, the CWA said.

It was packing maximum sustained winds of 126 km/h near its center, with gusts of up to 162 km/h, according to the CWA.

While it is currently unclear whether the typhoon will make landfall in Taiwan, its heavy rains and winds will affect Taiwan, CWA forecaster Wu Wan-hua (伍婉華) said.

Upgraded from a tropical storm at 11 a.m. Sunday, the typhoon prompted the CWA to issue heavy rain advisories across Taiwan, effective through Monday morning.

An extreme torrential rain advisory, warning of rainfall exceeding 500 millimeters within 24 hours, was issued for the Hengchun Peninsula.

Torrential rain advisories were issued for Pingtung County, Taitung County and mountainous areas in Kaohsiung, which can expect rain exceeding 350 mm in 24 hours or over 200 mm of rainfall in three hours.

Taichung, Tainan, Kaohsiung, Chiayi County and Chiayi City, as well as Miaoli, Changhua, Nantou, Yunlin, Chiayi and Hualien counties were warned of extremely heavy rain, indicating rainfall of over 200 mm in 24 hours or rainfall exceeding 100 mm in three hours.

Heavy rain advisories were issued for Taipei, New Taipei, Taoyuan, Keelung City, Hsinchu City, Hsinchu County, Yilan County and the outlying Penghu County, where rainfall of over 80 mm in 24 hours or over 40 mm in one hour can be expected, according to the CWA.

Wu said the rain will only abate after the typhoon leaves or weakens tomorrow night.

She warned that Penghu may experience wind gusts up to 150 km/h from Sunday night to Monday morning, while coastal regions along Yunlin, Chiayi and Tainan may experience gusts of up to 118 km/h.

Meanwhile, the Highway Bureau has announced it was closing the Alishan Highway in Chiayi County at 6 p.m. Sunday as a precaution.

The agency's Eastern Region Branch Office is also considering closing off the eastern section of the mountainous Central Cross-Island Highway (Provincial Highway 8), as its slopes are still unstable after a big earthquake that shook the area in April 2024, the office said.

Meanwhile, the Agency of Rural Development and Soil and Water Conservation issued a list of areas susceptible to landslides and mudslides, including 188 potential mudslide and 8 potential large-scale landslide sites in Kaohsiung, Chiayi County, Pingtung County and Taitung County.