Super Typhoon Kong-rey Edges Towards Taiwan

Authorities in Taiwan are warning residents along its eastern coast to brace for the impacts super Typhoon Kong-rey, which has rapidly intensified as it barrels towards the island after bashing the Philippines.

Kong-rey, moving northwest over the Philippine Sea, reached super-typhoon strength on Wednesday, according to the Joint Typhoon Warning Centre (JTWC). With winds of 240 kilometres per hour (150 miles per hour), it is the equivalent of a Category 4 Atlantic hurricane.

The powerful typhoon is forecast to make landfall early Thursday (Wednesday evening ET) in Taitung, a sparsely populated county on Taiwan’s mountainous southeastern coast.

“As the typhoon continues to move towards the northwest, almost the whole of Taiwan will be covered by the storm circle later tonight,” meteorologist Chu Mei-lin, with the island’s weather agency, said in a press conference on Wednesday morning.

The Central Weather Administration (CWA) issued a sea warning Tuesday as the storm drew closer. As of noon on Wednesday, the agency had issued land warnings for more than half of the island’s counties, which were expected to be hit by the storm’s outer bands.

Forecasts show that the powerful storm could weaken slightly ahead of making direct landfall on its southeastern coast, but it is still expected to unleash intense downpours, bringing flash flooding, storm surges and the risk of landslides.

“We urge everyone to make preparations accordingly,” Chu warned.

Chu added that waves could reach up to eight meters high when the typhoon makes landfall. There will also be heavy rainfall across Taiwan on Thursday, including in Taipei.

Taiwan’s military has placed about 36,000 soldiers on standby to assist with rescue and relief work, according to its Ministry of National Defence.

CNN/Shakirat Sadiq