Typhoon Ragasa to peak Monday afternoon through Tuesday in Taiwan

Taipei, Sept. 22 (CNA) Typhoon Ragasa is forecast to hit its peak strength and come closest to Taiwan from Monday afternoon through Tuesday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said.

Taiwan's main island could be out of the storm circle by midday Tuesday and that the sea warning may be lifted Tuesday night, according to the CWA.

CWA senior weather specialist Wu Wan-hua (伍婉華) told a press conference that Ragasa's storm circle had reached the Hengchun Peninsula by 11 a.m. Monday and is expected to hit Taitung County and Kaohsiung by Monday evening.

Ragasa would move to Taiwan's southern offshore areas Monday night and its southwestern offshore areas early Tuesday, Wu added.

As of 3 p.m. Monday, Ragasa's center was located at about 290 kilometers south-southeast of Cape Eluanbi, Taiwan's southernmost point, according to the CWA.

The storm was moving west-northwest at 21 kilometers per hour, with maximum winds near the storm's center of 209 kph, according to the CWA.

Land warnings cover Kaohsiung, Taitung County, Pingtung County and the Hengchun Peninsula, while sea warnings were issued for the Bashi Channel, the Taiwan Strait and waters as far south as Taiwan-controlled Dongsha Island, also known as Pratas Island, in the South China Sea, the CWA said.