Kinmen ferry services to China suspended due to bad weather

Taipei, Oct. 20 (CNA) Ferry services between outlying Kinmen County and China were suspended Monday due to strong winds and severe maritime conditions in the wake of a seasonal northeasterly wind system along with the effects of Tropical Storm Fengshen, according to Kinmen's Harbor Bureau.

In a statement posted on its Facebook page, the bureau said ferry services between Shuitou in Kinmen and Xiamen and Quanzhou in Fujian have been suspended for one day.

The bureau cited Taiwan's Central Weather Administration (CWA) as saying strong winds were hitting Kinmen, with the wind speed expected to range from 63-87 kilometers per hour and gusts reaching 104-117 kph along with with huge waves.

In addition, the bureau said bad maritime conditions around Quanzhou also led to the suspension of ferry services, urging passengers to contact ferry operators to confirm their schedules.

In terms of air transportation, Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport said the bad weather resulted in four flights scheduled to land in Taoyuan being diverted to Kaohsiung Sunday night to Monday morning -- Vietnam Airlines VN570, China Airlines CI794, China Airlines CI920 and Air Macau NX632.

The airport authorities said relatives and friends of passengers scheduled to arrive at Taoyuan Airport should confirm whether the flights will land as planned before going to the airport.

Meanwhile, the CWA warned that the combined effects of the current strong northeasterly wind system and Tropical Storm Fengshen will continue to affect weather in Taiwan, with the northern part of the country forecast to see major rainfall over the next few days.

In particular, the CWA said accumulated precipitation in Taipei, New Taipei and Keelung cities in northern Taiwan is expected to range from 300-490 millimeters over the next 24 hours, while Taipei and Taoyuan cities in the north and mountainous areas of Yilan County in the northeast could see accumulated rain hit 1,000mm over the next three days.

As of noon Monday, Qingtiangang in Taipei's Shihlin District reported the highest precipitation of 262.5mm for the day, ahead of New Taipei's Xindian District (235.5mm), Taoyuan's Daxi District (195.5mm), Keelung's Qidu District (164mm) and Yilan's Wujie township (120mm), according to the CWA.

As of 2 p.m., the center of Fengshen was located about 650 km southwest of Cape Eluanbi, Taiwan's southernmost point, moving in a westerly direction at a speed of 28 kilometers per hour and heading toward the Indo-China Peninsula, according to the CWA.

The CWA said the storm is unlikely to directly impact Taiwan but urged the public to remain alert over the heavy rain it will bring.