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Residents in Taiwan were told to seek shelter as Typhoon Krathon nears landfall, with the island fully shut for the second day.
Krathon is forecast to make landfall as a much weaker Category 2 typhoon around midday at the major southwestern port city of Kaohsiung.
Early this morning residents in the city of some 2.7 million people received texted warnings telling them to seek shelter from gusts of more than 160 kmph (100 mph).
Krathon is now slightly weakened but still a powerful Category 3-equivalent storm with sustained wind speeds of 173kmph and gusts of up to 209kmph.
At least two people have died in Taiwan from extreme weather caused by Krathon, both elderly men.
Earlier, two people were killed in the Philippines when the storm lashed the northern islands of the archipelago.
All domestic flights were cancelled for a second day, as well as 236 international ones. The north-south high speed rail line suspended services and Taiwan’s financial markets also closed for a second day.
The typhoon is forecast to slowly work its way up Taiwan’s flat western plain and weaken further into a tropical depression by late Friday before reaching the capital Taipei.
Key Points
- Taiwan shuts down for another day as Typhoon Krathon nears
- Two dead in Taiwan from Typhoon Krathon
- Typhoon Krathon tracker: Path and forecast
- Hundreds of flights cancelled in Taiwan
Two dead in Taiwan
The death toll from extreme weather caused by Typhoon Krathon is now at two, officials confirmed.
Another elderly man lost his life after a boulder fell on his car.
Earlier, a 70 year old man died after falling from a tree.
The storm has already killed two people in the Philippines.
Stuti Mishra3 October 2024 04:15Taiwan shuts down for another day as Typhoon Krathon nears
Taiwan remains shut for a second day as Typhoon Krathon continues to batter the island before its landfall.
Schools, offices and financial institution were shut across the island yesterday and remain shut today.
This is the second time in a year when Taiwan has had to shut its financial market for two days.
The typhoon is expected to make landfall around noon.
Stuti Mishra3 October 2024 04:04Video: Typhoon Krathon's formation and march over Philippines and Taiwan
Stuti Mishra3 October 2024 02:30Will Typhoon Krathon impact Taipei?
Krathon is forecast to make landfall near Kaohsiung or Tainan city either tonight or tomorrow morning local time, and from there it is projected to move northeast toward Taipei over the next day or so.
While the storm is expected to weaken as it moves inland, it could still cause significant damage, particularly due to heavy rain, flooding, and strong winds.
Authorities have issued extreme rain and wind warnings for multiple regions, with storm surge risks persisting along the coast.
Offices, schools, and businesses across Taiwan, including the financial market in Taipei is already shut as a precaution.
Stuti Mishra3 October 2024 00:30Mapped: Typhoon Krathon path and rainfall forecast
Mapped: Typhoon Krathon heads to Taiwan after lashing Philippines
Meteorologists warn it is ‘rare’ for such a powerful typhoon to make a direct hit on Taiwan’s western plains
Stuti Mishra2 October 2024 23:30Typhoon Krathon leaves two dead and over 77,000 afftected in the Philippines
At least two people are confirmed dead and over 77,000 people were affected in the Philippines after Typhoon Krathon caused significant devastation in the northern part of the archipelago.
One person was electrocuted in Cagayan province, and another fatality was reported in Ilocos Sur, according to Xinhua news agency.
The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council confirmed that Krathon, which intensified into a super typhoon earlier this week, brought winds of 195 kmph and gusts reaching 240 kmph.
The storm’s impact has left widespread damage across three regions as it continues to slowly moves north-northwestward towards Taiwan’s highly populated industrial hub, maintaining its strength.
Stuti Mishra2 October 2024 22:30No major impact from Typhoon Krathon, chip maker says
TSMC, the world’s largest contract chipmaker and a major Apple and Nvidia supplier, said it did not expect the typhoon would have a significant impact on operations.
TSMC’s factories are along the west coast, where the typhoon is set to make a rare landfall, some in the city of Tainan.
Most typhoons impact the southeastern parts of Taiwan and the western parts, which house some of the biggest companies and millions of people, remain safe from impacts.
However, experts have expressed concerns that Krathon’s path could cause disruption to Taiwan’s financial hubs.
Stuti Mishra2 October 2024 21:30Why is Typhoon Krathon’s landfall rare?
Typhoon Krathon is set to make an unprecedented landfall on Taiwan’s heavily populated west coast near Kaohsiung, bringing flooding and disruption to the region’s industrial and semiconductor sectors.
“Normally, typhoons in the western Pacific (especially in a place like Taiwan) track from east to west across this area,” Jon Davis, chief meteorologist at Everstream Analytics, said.
This is partly why Taiwan’s population is densely concentrated on its west coast and very few people live on the Pacific east coast – which receives the brunt of most storms.
“Typhoon Krathon is going to take a track and make landfall on the west coast of Taiwan near Kaohsiung based on the latest data,” he said.
Krathon’s west coast track is rare, with no major typhoon (Category 3 or higher) making landfall near Kaohsiung in the past 34 years, Mr Davis said.
“This will be an unprecedented event for the southwest portion of Taiwan,” he told The Independent.
Stuti Mishra2 October 2024 20:30Typhoon Krathon warning expanded to 13 cities and counties
Taiwan’s Central Weather Administration (CWA) expanded typhoon warnings to cover 13 cities and counties, stretching from the southern tip of the island up to Miaoli in the north.
As of 1.15pm local time (5.15am GMT), Typhoon Krathon was located 130 kilometres southwest of Kaohsiung, moving north-northeast at 8 kilometres per hour.
The outer rim of the storm has already engulfed Taitung and extended up the west coast as far as Yunlin, with bands of heavy rain and strong winds posing a significant threat to areas further north.
The cities and counties under the warning include Nantou, Chiayi County, Chiayi City, Pingtung, Changhua, Penghu, Taichung, Tainan, Taitung, Hualien, Miaoli, Yunlin, and Kaohsiung.
Authorities are asking residents across these regions to prepare for potential flooding, landslides, and storm surges as Typhoon Krathon makes its slow approach towards southwestern Taiwan, with landfall possible either tonight or tomorrow morning.
Stuti Mishra2 October 2024 19:29Typhoon Krathon brings back memories of Thelma
Residents in Taiwan were collecting sandbags, taping glass windows and stocking groceries as authorities urged people to stay at home.
"Because of Typhoon Gaemi being quite severe earlier this year, everyone is more cautious and prepared this time around," sales representative Yu Ren-yu, 35, told Reuters, picking up sandbags at a government office, referring to July's storm that killed 11 people.
"First be prepared, then we can face this typhoon."
People are very prepared this time, said Chou Yi-tang, a government official working in the Siaogang district home to the airport.
For many older residents, the storm brought back memories of the devastation caused by Typhoon Thelma five decades ago.
"We were hit directly by the eyewall," he added, describing events of Typhoon Thelma. "Power was out for two weeks and no water for almost a month. It was disastrous."
More than 700 sandbags have been distributed in his district, a record for a typhoon, while authorities are making more to meet demand, he told the agency.
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