Taitung, Pingtung counties announce partial school, office closures

Taipei, Sept. 21 (CNA) Schools and offices in parts of Taitung and Pingtung counties in southern Taiwan will close on Monday as Typhoon Ragasa approaches, with forecasters warning of strong winds and heavy rain across much of the island.

The affected areas are Orchid Island and Green Island in Taitung County, and Fangshan, Checheng, Hengchun, Shizi, Mudan and Manzhou townships in Pingtung County, the Directorate-General of Personnel Administration, which oversees government workers, said in a statement Sunday night.

According to the Central Weather Administration (CWA), Ragasa's strongest impact is expected from Monday night through early Wednesday, with southern Taiwan likely to face the most severe gusts.

As of 8 p.m., Typhoon Ragasa was located roughly 590 kilometers southeast of Cape Eluanbi, Taiwan's southernmost point, moving west at a speed of about 21 km per hour.

With a radius of 320 km, the storm was packing maximum sustained winds at 198 kph, with gusts reaching up to 245 kph.

As the storm passes southwest of Pingtung County in the south on Tuesday, strong winds will extend northward across the Taiwan Strait to Hsinchu County, forecasters said.

Rain from Ragasa's outer bands had already reached northern and eastern Taiwan by Sunday night, the CWA said, with heavy showers expected for the Keelung City coast, Yilan County and Hualien County.

On Monday, heavy rainfall and localized downpours are expected in mountainous areas in northern, eastern, and southern Taiwan, including the Hengchun Peninsula and Kaohsiung-Pingtung ranges.

The Ministry of Transportation and Communications (MOTC) said 18 domestic flights had been canceled as of 6 p.m. Sunday, but international services were unaffected.

All domestic flights connecting to Hualien and Taitung counties scheduled for Monday have also been canceled.

Ferry routes linking Taiwan to offshore counties including Lienchiang, Kinmen, Penghu, Green Island, and Orchid Island were to be suspended Monday, with limited sailings on the Donggang-Liuqiu Island route in Pingtung.

Additional closures include the 2025 Taipei Water Dance Festival, suspended Monday and Tuesday nights, and Fushoushan and Wuling farms in Taichung's Heping District, which will close at 2 p.m. Monday.