CLIMATE CHANGE CREATION

Taiwan battens down for Super Typhoon Kong-rey

Akio Wang with Joy Chiang in Taipei
Tue 29 October 2024 

A fisherman secures a boat as Typhoon Kong-rey approaches Taiwan's Yilan County on Wednesday (I-Hwa CHENG) (I-Hwa CHENG/AFP/AFP)


Taiwan suspended work and classes on some outlying islands and fishers secured their boats Wednesday as authorities warned approaching Super Typhoon Kong-rey could trigger landslides.

Strong winds and heavy rains were expected to pound swathes of the island of 23 million people ahead of Kong-rey making landfall in the southeast on Thursday afternoon.

Kong-rey was packing maximum sustained wind speeds of 240 kilometres (150 miles) per hour as it neared Taiwan, the US Joint Typhoon Warning Center said in its latest update.


Fishers wearing raincoats tied down their boats in the harbour of Yilan county, southeast of Taipei, as rain fell.

"Of course I'm worried. All my assets are here," a fisherman, who gave his name as Captain Chen, told AFP.

Kong-rey was expected to dump the heaviest rain over Taiwan's eastern and northern coastal areas and the mountains in central and southern regions, said state forecaster the Central Weather Administration.

Yilan and the eastern county of Hualien were expected to be hardest hit, with accumulated rainfall from Tuesday to Friday reaching 800 millimetres to 1,200 millimetres (31 inches to 47 inches), forecaster Chang Chun-yao told AFP.

"Based on the projected path of the typhoon, we advise Yilan, Hualien, and Taitung to take precautions against potential landslides and debris flows in areas expected to receive heavy rainfall," Chang said.

Classes and work were suspended on the two main islands of Taitung county, where the typhoon looks set to make a direct hit based on the storm's current trajectory.

Ferry services between Taiwan's outlying island of Kinmen and the Chinese port city of Xiamen were also halted.

Taiwan is accustomed to frequent tropical storms from July to October, but Chang said it was unusual for such a powerful typhoon to hit the island this late in the year.

"It is very rare for a moderate or stronger typhoon to make landfall in late October. The last occurrence was the Typhoon Nock-ten in October 2004," Chang told AFP.

Scientists have warned climate change is increasing the intensity of storms, leading to heavy rains, flash floods and strong gusts.

In July, Gaemi became the strongest typhoon to make landfall in Taiwan in eight years, killing at least 10 people, injuring hundreds and triggering widespread flooding in the southern seaport city of Kaohsiung.

That was followed in early October by Krathon, which killed at least four people and injured hundreds, as well as triggering mudslides, flooding and record-strong gusts.

joy/amj/cwl

Taiwan warns Typhoon Kong-rey 'rapidly' intensifying

AFP
Tue 29 October 2024

Typhoon Kong-rey was heading towards southeastern Taiwan and could make landfall late Wednesday or early Thursday, the Central Weather Administration said (I-Hwa CHENG) (I-Hwa CHENG/AFP/AFP)

Authorities in southeastern Taiwan suspended some ferries and advised fishers to return to shore Tuesday as the island's weather forecaster warned approaching Typhoon Kong-rey was "rapidly" intensifying.

Packing maximum wind speeds of 155 kilometres (96 miles) per hour, the storm could make landfall late Wednesday or early Thursday, the Central Weather Administration said.

"It is now intensifying rapidly," Lin Po-tung of the weather agency told a news conference.

Lin warned waves could reach five to six metres (16 to 20 feet) high on Wednesday, with heavy rain also forecast in the capital Taipei.

Disaster officials in Taitung county, which looked set to bear the brunt of Kong-rey based on the storm's current trajectory, advised fishers to return to shore and secure their boats, while ferry services to outlying islands were suspended.

"The main impact on Taitung will be damage caused by strong winds," the local fire agency said.

Further north in the coastal city of Hualien, which was hit by a magnitude 7.4 earthquake in April, authorities prepared supplies for the vulnerable and vehicles ready to evacuate people.

Taiwan is accustomed to frequent tropical storms from July to October but scientists have warned climate change is increasing their intensity, leading to heavy rains, flash floods and strong gusts.

In July, Gaemi became the strongest typhoon to make landfall in Taiwan in eight years, killing at least 10 people, injuring hundreds and triggering widespread flooding in the southern seaport city of Kaohsiung.

That was followed in early October by Krathon, which killed at least four people and injured hundreds, as well as triggering mudslides, flooding and record-strong gusts.

In a bid to avoid a repeat of the flooding, there have been "increased efforts on clearing sediment from rivers and in more areas", said Yi-fung Wang, a spokesman for the Water Resources Agency, under the economic ministry.

joy/amj/rs

Typhoon Kong-rey to bring 180-mph winds, 3 feet of rain to Taiwan

Jesse Ferrell
Tue 29 October 2024 



Typhoon Kong-rey will strengthen to the equivalent of a Category 4 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale later this week as it approaches Taiwan. Landfall Thursday will bring significant structural damage, mudslides and flooding. Kong-rey, known as Leon in the Philippines, is a 4 on the AccuWeather RealImpact™ Scale for Taiwan.

Both Taiwan and the Philippines have been hit recently by tropical storms. Deadly Super Typhoon Krathon hit Taiwan on Oct. 3. Tropical Storm Trami, known as Kristine in the Philippines, killed at least 126 people with flooding rain last weekend.

As of Tuesday morning, Kong-rey is the equivalent of a Category 2 hurricane. Additional strengthening to a very strong typhoon is likely before striking southern Taiwan Thursday. There is a chance Kong-rey could reach super typhoon intensity, the highest category ranked by the Japan Meteorological Agency, on Wednesday.





Typhoon Kong-rey will continue to track west-northwestward into Wednesday. The storm may turn more to the northwest by Thursday as it makes landfall in Taiwan, then northeastward after landfall in eastern China Friday as a tropical storm.





Heavy rain from Kong-rey is expected across northern Luzon, Philippines, the southern Ryukyu Islands, and Taiwan from Tuesday night, Oct. 29, into Friday, Nov. 1, before spreading across the northern Ryukyu Islands and south Japan from Thursday night, Oct. 31, into early Sunday, Nov. 3.

Rainfall of up to 24 inches (600 mm), with an AccuWeather Local StormMax™ of 36 inches (900 mm), can lead to flooding and travel delays, as well as mudslides in the mountainous terrain of Taiwan.





Damaging wind gusts as high as 160 mph (260 km/h), with an AccuWeather Local StormMax™ of 180 mph (290 km/h), can occur across Taiwan, the Batanes and the east coast of China from Wed., Oct. 30, through Sat., Nov. 2. This wind can lead to structural damage, power outages and logistical delays.

AccuWeather Lead International Expert Jason Nicholls contributed to this report.