taipei/taiwan — Taiwan expects Super Typhoon Kong-rey to make landfall on Thursday along the sparsely populated east coast, issuing a warning on Wednesday ahead of the powerful storm which will bring heavy rain and strong winds across a swath of the island.
Packing gusts of nearly 300 kph, the storm has strengthened into a super typhoon and is expected to further intensify before hitting land in Taitung county, according to U.S. Navy's Joint Typhoon Warning Center.
The storm is then forecast to cross Taiwan's south, enter the Taiwan Strait and head towards China, Taiwan's Central Weather Administration said, which labeled the storm as a "strong typhoon," the most powerful storm level for Taiwan.
Up to 1.2 meters of rainfall is expected in mountainous eastern Taiwan and destructive winds are likely to hit coastal areas on Thursday, according to the administration.
Taiwan President Lai Ching-te urged people to stay away from the mountains and coast.
"I would like to urge my friends in the eastern, southern and northern parts of the country to be on alert," he wrote on his Facebook page.
Taiwan's defense ministry said it had put about 36,000 troops on standby across the island.
Central Weather Administration forecaster Stan Chang said it was relatively rare for a strong typhoon to directly hit Taiwan this late in the year, pointing to the still favorable environment for typhoons, including warmer sea temperatures in the Pacific and later-than-normal cold fronts from the north.
"We must urge people to make preparations. It's a strong typhoon with a large size," Chang added.
Heavy rain is also expected in the north around the capital Taipei throughout the day on Thursday, the administration said.
Subtropical Taiwan is frequently hit by typhoons. The last one, Typhoon Krathon, killed four people earlier this month as it passed through the south of the island.
