Land warning for Typhoon Ragasa expected to be lifted Tuesday morning

Taipei, Sept. 22 (CNA) After hitting peak strength on Monday evening, Typhoon Ragasa is expected to gradually weaken over the next 24 hours when it moves to the South China Sea, with the land warning in Taiwan to be lifted Tuesday morning at the earliest, according to the Central Weather Administration (CWA).

As of 8 p.m., the storm's center was located about 270 kilometers south of Cape Eluanbi, the southernmost point of Taiwan, moving west northwest 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.

So far, the radius of the storm has covered Pingtung and Taitung counties as well as the Hengchun Peninsula, posing a threat to southern Taiwan, CWA forecast Lin Po-tung (林柏東) said.

Taiwan issued a land warning for the typhoon Sunday evening after a sea warning came into effective Sunday morning.

The land warning went into effect for Taitung, Pingtung, Hengchun Peninsula and Kaohsiung City, while the sea warning was effective for the Taiwan Strait, waters southeast of Taiwan, the Bashi Channel and the waters around Dongsha Island, Lin said.

After peaking Monday evening, Lin said Typhoon Ragasa is unlikely to become any stronger and is expected to start weakening over the next 24 hours when it enters the South China Sea, adding that the sea warning could be removed Tuesday night.

When the storm makes landfall in China, its momentum is expected to fade quickly, the forecaster said.

With the storm getting closer to Taiwan, precipitation has increased, Lin said, adding that Keelung and the northeast coastal area, Yilan and Hualien have seen accumulated rain of more than 100 millimeters since the beginning of Monday.

The CWA has issued a torrential rain advisory or extremely torrential rain advisory for Taitung and Hualien counties. A torrential rain alert means 24-hour accumulated rainfall exceeds 350mm, or 3-hour accumulated rainfall exceeds 200mm, while an extremely torrential rain warning indicates 24-hour accumulated rainfall exceeding 500mm.

Precipitation will continue into daytime Tuesday, Lin said.

Due to the typhoon, the Maritime Port Bureau said 110 journeys on 12 ferry routes will be suspended Tuesday, including Keelung to Matsu, Nangan's Fuao to Fuzhou's Langqi, Beigan's Paisha to Fuzhou's Huangqi, Kinmen to Quanzhou's Shijing, and Kaohsiung to Penghu.

The bureau suggested passengers should check ferry schedules before departing.

In addition, land transportation has been also interrupted by intermittent heavy precipitation caused by the typhoon.

The Highway Bureau said provincial highway No. 9 saw mudslides at the northbound entry of Huide Tunnel so the Heren to Chongde section was closed late Monday afternoon as a preventive measure.

The bureau urged passengers not to drive to mountainous areas as heavy rain is likely to lead to more mudslides and rockslides.