On Tuesday, Taiwan issued a weather alert in response to Typhoon Koinu, which is approaching the island and could make landfall later this week, bringing strong winds and heavy rainfall to its southeastern regions.
The island’s weather bureau upgraded the alert from a sea warning to a land warning after monitoring Koinu’s progress. At that time, the typhoon was moving northwest with maximum sustained winds of 162 kph (101 mph).
Forecasters predict that Koinu will impact southern and eastern Taiwan by early Wednesday, with a potential landfall in the southeastern part of the island on Thursday.
As a precaution, beaches in Kenting National Park were closed on Tuesday, and Taitung County authorities identified several coastal and mountainous areas as potential hazard zones.
Beaches in Kenting National Park closed as Typhoon Koinu nears Taiwan’s coast.Chinese weather officials noted that Koinu might either strike Taiwan’s southern coast or pass by the island without making landfall, continuing westward with decreased intensity from Wednesday evening to Thursday morning.
In Zhangzhou, a city in southeastern China, local authorities have asked fishing boats to return to port by Wednesday evening and have suspended ferry services for Thursday and Friday.
In the Philippines, which was spared the typhoon’s direct impact, the weather bureau issued storm alerts for six northern provinces, warning of possible flooding and landslides, particularly in mountainous areas.
This comes after Typhoon Haikui struck Taiwan in early September, causing tree damage, vehicle destruction, and injuries, but no major disasters.