Super Typhoon nears Taiwan
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A land storm warning is in effect for all of Taiwan as a super typhoon closes in on the island.
Super Typhoon Bilis, was centered around 300 miles east-southeast of Taiwan Monday evening (Eastern Time), on a direct course for the eastern counties of Taitung, Hualien and Pingtung.
Those counties were expected to feel the brunt of the typhoon’s winds at landfall, however the entire island was advised by the Central Weather Bureau (CWB) to prepare for torrential rains.
Bilis’ top winds had increased to 161 mph Monday evening, and were expected to increase slightly over the next 12 hours, then weaken as it crosses southern Taiwan sometime Tuesday.
The extended storm track brings the typhoon onshore in southeastern China early Wednesday (Eastern Time), with top winds of 130 mph.
Along with high winds, the typhoon is expected to bring huge waves to the coast of Taiwan. The Joint Typhoon Warning Center reported that as of this morning, maximum wave height was 26 feet.
Along with the threat from Typhoon Bilis, Taiwan is dealing with a series of earthquakes.
Three moderate tremors shook central Taiwan Monday, just a day after a series of quakes rattled the same area.
The three quakes struck around 3 a.m. local time Monday in Taoyuan City, about 125 miles south of the capital, Taipei, the Central Weather Bureau reported. The tremors ranged in magnitude from 4.0 to 4.6 on the Richter scale.
On Sunday, a magnitude 4.6 quake struck near Hualien City shortly after 10 p.m. Four other smaller earthquakes also hit Sunday.
Thousands of minor quakes and aftershocks have hit Taiwan since a 7.6-magnitude quake struck central Taiwan last September, killing 2,400 people and destroying thousands of homes. |
