Taipei: Typhoon Danas will hit Taiwan the hardest from Sunday through Monday during the day as it moves in a northeast direction along Taiwan’s western coast, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said Sunday afternoon.
According to Focus Taiwan, as of 2 p.m. Sunday, the eye of Typhoon Danas was situated 180 kilometers south-southwest of Penghu and moving northeast at speeds ranging from 21 to 27 kilometers per hour. It was packing maximum sustained winds of 126 km/h near its center, with gusts of up to 162 km/h, according to the CWA.
While it is currently unclear whether the typhoon will make landfall, its heavy rains and winds are expected to affect Taiwan, CWA forecaster Wu Wan-hua stated. The typhoon, upgraded from a tropical storm at 11 a.m. Sunday, prompted the CWA to issue heavy rain advisories across Taiwan, effective through Monday morning.
An extreme torrential rain advisory, warning of rainfall exceeding 500 millimeters within 24 hours, was issued for the Hengchun Peninsula. Torrential rain advisories were also issued for Pingtung County, Taitung County, and mountainous areas in Kaohsiung, which can expect rain exceeding 350 mm in 24 hours or over 200 mm of rainfall in three hours.
Regions including Taichung, Tainan, Kaohsiung, Chiayi County and Chiayi City, as well as Miaoli, Changhua, Nantou, Yunlin, Chiayi, and Hualien counties, were warned of extremely heavy rain, indicating rainfall of over 200 mm in 24 hours or rainfall exceeding 100 mm in three hours.
Heavy rain advisories were issued for Taipei, New Taipei, Taoyuan, Keelung City, Hsinchu City, Hsinchu County, Yilan County, and the outlying Penghu County, where rainfall of over 80 mm in 24 hours or over 40 mm in one hour can be expected, according to the CWA.
Wu noted that the rain will only abate after the typhoon leaves or weakens tomorrow night. She warned that Penghu may experience wind gusts up to 150 km/h from Sunday night to Monday morning, while coastal regions along Yunlin, Chiayi, and Tainan may experience gusts of up to 118 km/h.
In response to the approaching typhoon, the Highway Bureau has announced the closure of the Alishan Highway in Chiayi County at 6 p.m. Sunday as a precaution. The Eastern Region Branch Office is also considering closing off the eastern section of the mountainous Central Cross-Island Highway (Provincial Highway 8), as its slopes remain unstable after an earthquake in April 2024.
Additionally, the Agency of Rural Development and Soil and Water Conservation issued a list of areas susceptible to landslides and mudslides, including 188 potential mudslide and eight potential large-scale landslide sites in Kaohsiung, Chiayi County, Pingtung County, and Taitung County.