Most offices and schools across Taiwan will maintain normal operations on Saturday despite the approach of Typhoon Hinnamnor, according to the Directorate-General of Personnel Administration.

While Hinnamnor is forecast to bring torrential rainfall to northern and northeastern Taiwan, New Taipei is the only city that has issued office and school closures, for the mountainous districts of Ruifang, Pingxi, Shuangxi, and Gongliao.

As of 8 p.m. Friday, Typhoon Hinnamnor was located 400 kilometers east of Eluanbi on Taiwan’s southern tip and was moving in a northerly direction at 7 kilometers per hour, according to the Central Weather Bureau (CWB).

The storm, which has a radius of 250 km, was carrying maximum sustained winds of 162 kph, with gusts of up to 198 kph, the CWB said.

The bureau, which had expected to issue a land warning sometime after midnight, said the timing may be postponed since Hinnamnor has not moved much over the past three hours.

But the storm still remains a substantial threat to Taiwan as it is likely to strengthen, bringing heavier rainfall across the country on Saturday, forecasters said.

As a precaution, the Soil and Water Conservation Bureau has issued mudslide alerts for 84 mountain settlements in New Taipei, Taoyuan, and Hsinchu County, advising local residents in these areas to evacuate.

On Friday, the storm caused the cancelations of 31 flights and 71 ferry services, the transport ministry said, adding that 63 more ferry services on 10 routes would be canceled on Saturday.

Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel