Powerful Typhoon Ragasa closing in on Taiwan

Taipei, Sept. 22 (CNA) Typhoon Ragasa continued to strengthen early Monday as it moved closer to Taiwan's southern tip, with its storm circle forecast to reach the Hengchun Peninsula before noon, according to the Central Weather Administration (CWA).

As of 10 a.m., the typhoon's center was located about 340 kilometers south-southeast of Cape Eluanbi, moving west at a speed of 20 kilometers per hour (kph), the CWA said.

With a radius of 320 km, the typhoon was packing maximum sustained winds of 209 kph and gusts of up to 263 kph, the CWA said.

A land warning remains in effect for Taitung County, the Hengchun Peninsula, Pingtung County and Kaohsiung. Sea warnings cover the southern Taiwan Strait, waters off southeastern Taiwan, the Bashi Channel between Taiwan and the Philippines, and the Dongsha Islands.

CWA senior specialist Wu Wan-hua (伍婉華) said Ragasa is expected to intensify slightly and expand as it approaches. The typhoon's impact will be most significant on Monday and Tuesday, with increasing rainfall across eastern Taiwan and the south.

Heavy rain is forecast through Monday for Hualien, Taitung, Yilan, Pingtung, the Greater Taipei area, the Hengchun Peninsula, and the offshore Orchid and Green islands, as well as mountainous areas in Taoyuan, Taichung, Nantou and Kaohsiung, Wu said.

On Tuesday, heavy rain is expected to continue in eastern Taiwan, the Hengchun Peninsula, Kaohsiung, Pingtung and mountainous areas across Taiwan, she added.

Wave heights of 5-6 meters have already been observed off Taitung and the northern coast, according to the CWA.

Seas in the southeast and the Bashi Channel could see waves exceeding 6 meters Monday and Tuesday, with the storm's center possibly generating waves over 10 meters, the CWA said.