Taiwan Prepares for Rain and Wind Ahead of Typhoon Koinu

Preparations were underway in Taiwan as Typhoon Koinu was expected to bring heavy rain and wind to major cities before making landfall Thursday morning, forecasters said.

Koinu, which formed over the weekend, was about 250 miles southeast of Taiwan on Tuesday, according to the island’s Central Weather Administration. It was moving west-northwest at about 7 miles per hour, with maximum sustained winds of 96 miles per hour and gusts of about 118 m.p.h., the weather agency said.

Wu Wan-hua, a meteorologist for the country’s weather agency, said at a news conference on Tuesday morning that the typhoon would begin to affect southeastern waters in the evening and southeastern coastal areas by Wednesday morning.

Parts of the northern Philippines were under wind and rain advisories from the storm, and officials there warned that landslides were possible in mountainous areas.

Weather officials on Tuesday morning declared a land warning, an alert before a typhoon makes landfall, and a strong wind notice for multiple cities throughout Taiwan. The island’s forecasters said heavy rains and winds are expected in major cities and counties in southern and eastern Taiwan through at least Thursday.

Beaches in Kenting National Park, in the southern region of the country, were closed as of Tuesday, but schools and businesses remained open.

Forecasters in Taiwan expect Koinu to maintain its strength through Wednesday and then gradually weaken, with winds of about 62 m.p.h. by the end of the week.

Koinu follows Typhoon Saola, which disrupted travel and forced schools to close in Taiwan last month, after prompting evacuations in the Philippines. In July, Typhoon Doksuri caused dozens of deaths in the Philippines from flooding and landslides before grazing Taiwan and eventually making landfall in mainland China.