The country issued a weather alert as Typhoon Koinu is approaching and may make landfall later this week, bringing gales and downpours to the southeastern parts of the island.
The weather bureau put out a land warning yesterday after issuing a sea alert late Monday.
Koinu was moving northwest with sustained winds of 162kph near its centre, according to the bureau.
Forecasters expected it to bring strong winds and downpours to southern and eastern parts of Taiwan early today and potentially make landfall in the southeastern part of the island tomorrow.
Beaches in Kenting National Park, in the southern tip of Taiwan, were closed to the public yesterday.
Meanwhile, the local authorities in the southeastern Taitung County listed several coastal and mountainous areas as potential hazard zones.
Chinese weather authorities said yesterday that Koinu may make landfall somewhere along Taiwan’s southern coast or pass the island without making landfall and move westward with reduced intensity from this evening to tomorrow morning.
Authorities in the Chinese city of Zhangzhou asked fishing boats to return to port by this evening and suspended ferry services tomorrow and Friday.
Typhoon Haikui hit Taiwan in early September, the first typhoon to make landfall in years. It uprooted trees and damaged cars, but did not cause any catastrophic damage. — AP
