Typhoon Koinu slammed into southern Taiwan on Thursday, bringing torrential rain and record winds of more than 340 kilometers per hour, the territory’s weather service said.
“Wind gusts of a maximum of 95.2 meters per second were recorded on Orchid Island last night,” the territory added, “representing a new record for Taiwan,” weather services identified by AFP noted.
These gusts, with a speed of 342.7 kilometers per hour, hit the volcanic island in southern Taiwan, which is home mainly to farmers and fishermen.
The typhoon was originally expected to hit the south of the island of Taiwan, but “its path diverged further south,” the weather service said.
Experts point out that climate change is making it harder to predict the path of tropical storms as their intensity increases, leading to heavy rainfall or flash floods.
Second typhoon in a month
More than 200 international and domestic flights were canceled and 3,000 people were evacuated from mountainous regions as a precaution before the typhoon hit, the second to hit the area in a month.
Some residents in Taitung County have stocked up on food.
“We live in the mountains and have to drive a while to get here, so we stock up just in case,” Meng Xin, 26, told AFP.
On Thursday, the streets were deserted and it rained in the region, the wind also blowing away traffic signs and tearing off metal roofs.
Tropical storms often hit Taiwan from May to November, but Typhoon Haikui in early September was the first to hit the island in four years, unleashing torrential rain and strong winds and forcing nearly 8,000 people to evacuate their homes.
According to the Hong Kong Meteorological Observatory, Typhoon Koinu is expected to head past the Taiwan region and towards the east coast of China’s Guangdong province, which includes the city of Guangzhou.
Hong Kong, which avoided a typhoon last month before being hit by floods caused by the heaviest rains in 140 years, issued a typhoon warning at its lowest level on Wednesday evening.