By Mary Hui, Cindy Wang (Bloomberg) Typhoon Krathon tracked slowly toward Taiwan, with the storm set to weaken before making landfall on Thursday morning and the island will keep its $2.5 trillion stock market closed for a second day.
Krathon currently has maximum sustained winds of 155 kilometers (96 miles) per hour, according to Taiwan’s Central Weather Administration. The storm is expected to cross the coast between the cities of Tainan and Kaohsiung.
The typhoon has weakened on its approach, and the weather bureau forecasts it will have maximum wind speeds of 101 kilometers per hour as it hits the coast, dumping heavy rain.
Taipei is set to see lighter rain and winds, but municipal governments have discretion on further work and school suspensions. Taiwan stock exchange is extending its closure through Thursday, marking the market’s second two-day shutdown this year after Typhoon Gaemi in July.
Krathon was 120 kilometers southwest of Kaohsiung as of 4:15 p.m. local time, the CWA said. At least 18 counties and cities are forecast to meet the rain and wind strength requirements for another day of school and office closures tomorrow, according to local media.
“Although the typhoon has weakened, it’s still threatening us,” CWA Forecaster Wu Wan-hua said at an online briefing on Wednesday. “It’s expected to make landfall in the southwest of Taiwan tomorrow. The typhoon is affecting us for a long time, because it’s moving really slowly.”
Schools, offices and ports are closed across Taiwan, and some mountainous areas could get as much as 49 centimeters (19 inches) of rain, according to forecasts from the CWA. Over 6,800 households are currently without power, according to the state-owned Taiwan Power Company.
Evacuations, Flight Disruptions
More than 9,000 people have been evacuated across Taiwan, according to the Central Emergency Operation Center, with one dead, two missing, and 70 injured as of Wednesday afternoon. There are widespread transportation disruptions, with nearly 500 domestic and international flights and 164 ship crossings scheduled for Wednesday canceled, according to authorities.
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. has activated routine typhoon alert preparation procedures at all its fabs and construction sites across the island, according to an emailed statement from the company, though it doesn’t expect a significant impact on operations due to the storm.
In the Philippines, where Krathon first started developing, the typhoon — known locally as Julian — had a less severe impact than storms seen earlier this year. Four casualties have been reported so far, according to local authorities, and hundreds were evacuated due to flooding.
As the Southeastern U.S. continues to recover from Hurricane Helene’s devastating impact on both coastal and inland communities, the National Hurricane Center (NHC) is continueing to monitor multiple systems in...
Update (6:30 p.m. ET): Hurricane Helene upgraded to Category 4 storm with 130 mph sustained winds ahead of landfall. As Hurricane Helene barrels towards the Florida Big Bend, residents brace...
Hurricane Helene’s extraordinary size—combined with its intensity—is setting off alarm bells among forecasters, prompting urgent warnings for residents along the Florida coast and inland areas. A Wednesday afternoon update from...
September 25, 2024
Total Views: 37930
Why Join the gCaptain Club?
Access exclusive insights, engage in vibrant discussions, and gain perspectives from our CEO.
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.