Mapped: Super Typhoon Krathon heads to Taiwan after lashing Philippines
Typhoon Krathon is expected to make a “rare” landfall in the highly populated regions of southwestern Taiwan, prompting school closures, flight cancellations and evacuations.
The storm intensified to a super typhoon on Tuesday, equivalent to a Category 4 storm, packing maximum sustained winds of 198kmph, with gusts exceeding 245kmph.
On Wednesday, it lost some of its strength but it was still a powerful Category 3-equivalent storm, with sustained wind speeds of 185kmph and gusts of up to 240kmph, according to Taiwan’s Central Weather Administration (CWA).
Follow our live coverage of Typhoon Krathon.
With its northwards march slowed to just 8kmph, Krathon was approximately 130 kilometres south-southwest of Kaohsiung. The storm has been lingering close to the island, and its bands are already causing rainfall and wind gusts in southern Taiwan.
The storm will further weaken as it passes over Taiwan, possibly “dissolving” into a tropical depression, the CWA said, while cautioning that the storm could still bring heavy rains for an extended period of time.
After making landfall near Kaohsiung or Tainan city on Thursday, the storm is projected to move northeast toward Taipei over the next day or so.
At least three people have died from extreme weather caused by Typhoon Krathon. Taiwan saw its first death related to the typhoon on Wednesday when an elderly man in Hualien fell from a tree, the fire department said. Earlier two people died as Krathon brought extreme rainfall to the northern Philippines. Dozens of people have also been injured.
The island shut down on Wednesday as it braced for the storm, with hundreds of flights cancelled and offices, schools and financial markets closed.
Taiwan’s CWA expanded its warning for the storm to include more areas.
The mountainous districts of Taoyuan, Maolin, Namasia, and Liugui in Kaohsiung have been put on high alert for potential landslides, leading to precautionary evacuations. At least 521 people have already been evacuated from these regions.
“It [Krathon] is set to bring catastrophic damage,” Taiwan president Lai Ching-te said.
Hundreds of international flights have been cancelled across Taiwan since Tuesday and all domestice flights were halted.
Nearly 10,000 people have been evacuated from vulnerable areas across Taiwan, particularly in regions prone to flooding and landslides.
Most of the evacuations are concentrated in southern Taiwan, including cities like Kaohsiung and Pingtung, where the storm is expected to make landfall early morning tomorrow.
On Monday, the storm battered the northern Philippines with heavy rain, strong winds, and potential landslides.
In the northern Philippines, the provinces of Cagayan and Batanes have been affected by the outer bands of Typhoon Krathon, with strong winds and intense rainfall battering the region.
Local authorities issued high-level warnings for storm surges and flooding, and several coastal and island communities have already begun evacuations. Ferry services were also halted.
Experts warned once the typhoon interacts with Taiwan’s Central Mountain Range, its path could become erratic, with the potential for sudden changes in direction or looping tracks.
Forecasters anticipated that Krathon will have its strongest impact between Tuesday and Thursday, with southern and eastern Taiwan experiencing the heaviest rain and winds.
The high mountains of Taiwan could weaken the storm slightly, but residents have been warned to brace for powerful winds exceeding 200 kmph, along with extreme rainfall and the risk of landslides and flooding.
Coastal and low-lying areas are particularly vulnerable to storm surges and flooding as the storm intensifies.
The city is expecting up to 800mm of rainfall in some areas, particularly in the mountains. Additional heavy rain warnings were issued for Hualien, Taitung, and other areas in eastern Taiwan, where some regions could see over 200mm of rainfall within 24 hours.
Kaohsiung’s Water Conservancy Bureau said that the city’s flood control systems are fully operational, with 91 pumping stations, 112 mobile pumping units, and 25 detention ponds ready to manage the anticipated downpour. The city’s Jinshi Lake flood detention capacity has also been increased.
Around 40,000 military personnels have been mobilised to assist with evacuations as they moved individuals and vehicles out of danger zones on Monday.