The periphery of Typhoon Hinnamnor could bring extremely heavy rain to northern and northeastern Taiwan starting Friday, while coastal areas across much of the country could see strong winds and high waves, the Central Weather Bureau (CWB) said Thursday.
Hinnamnor is currently located 480 kilometers east-southeast of Hualien on Taiwan’s east coast, and has begun to move northward at a speed of 3 kilometers per hour, with wind speeds of up to 191 km/hr near its center, CWB forecaster Huang En-hung (???) told CNA.
The storm is slightly further west than originally forecast, but remains likely to continue on a northward path, passing over waters east of Taiwan, Huang said, adding that the CWB could issue a sea warning as early as Friday morning.
Currently, the storm has a radius of 250 km, but that could increase to as much as 300 km by Friday and Saturday, when it is forecast to be closest to Taiwan, Huang said.
Initially, there was a 50 percent chance the outer bands of the typhoon would pass over Yilan and Keelung, but that probability has since decreased, making it less likely that a land warning will be issued, he added.
In terms of the storm’s impact, Huang said that coastal and open areas in western, northeastern and eastern Taiwan, as well as Orchid Island, Green Island, Penghu and the Matsu Islands could see wind gusts of 75-117 km/hr beginning on Friday, as well as waves of between 3 and 6 meters in height.
Meanwhile, from Friday through Sunday morning, heavy or extremely heavy rain is possible in the north of the country and mountainous regions, while other areas are likely to see scattered showers, he said.
The CWB defines heavy rain as accumulated rainfall of 80 millimeters or more within a 24-hour period or 40 mm or more in an hour, while extremely heavy rain refers to accumulated rainfall of 200 mm or more within 24 hours.
In anticipation of the storm, the Taipei City government announced it will stop allowing cars access to riverside areas within evacuation gates from 10 a.m. Friday, while Keelung City said it will halt tours of Keelung Islet, a popular tourist site, from Friday through Sunday.
To date, no typhoons have made landfall in Taiwan this year.
Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel