• By Lin Chih-yi and Sam Garcia / Journalist, with the editor

The Central Weather Administration (CWA) issued a marine warning for Typhoon Kong-rey at 5:30 p.m. yesterday as the storm approached the east coast.

As of 8 p.m. yesterday, the storm was 670 km southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻) and moving northwest at 12 to 16 km/h.

It had maximum sustained winds of 162 km/h and gusts of up to 198 km/h, the CWA said.

A land warning could be issued this morning for the storm, which is expected to have the greatest impact on Taiwan from tonight until Friday morning, the agency said.

Orchid Island (Lanyu, 蘭嶼) and Green Island (綠島) have canceled classes and work for today.

The typhoon strengthened faster than expected and is expected to reach the upper limit of a moderate typhoon by this morning, CWA forecaster Chu Mei-lin (朱美霖) said.

Photo courtesy of the Central Weather Administration

Heavy rain is expected today over Taipei and New Taipei City, as well as Yilan and Hualien counties, as the typhoon approaches, becoming heavier in the evening, Chu said.

The storm is expected to reach southeastern waters tomorrow, with the center making landfall along Hualien and Taitung counties and the Hengchun Peninsula (恆春半島) in the afternoon, she said. noted.

It could enter the Taiwan Strait late tomorrow evening or Friday morning, depending on how it transforms after crossing the central mountain range, Chu added.

From tomorrow to Friday morning, torrential rain or extreme downpour is expected in eastern Taiwan, and heavy rain is expected in the northern, southern and central regions, said Lin Po-tung (林伯東), director of the CWA forecast center, during a press conference.

Heavy rain is expected to continue in central and southern Taiwan until Friday, while precipitation in the north and east is expected to gradually decrease, Lin said.

Influenced by the typhoon’s outward winds, Penghu County, Lanyu and Green Island are likely to experience gusts reaching levels 11 and 12 today, he said.

Gusts of around 11 levels are expected along the west coast from Miaoli counties to Yunlin counties, and stronger gusts are expected in eastern Taiwan and Kinmen County, as well as big waves, he added.

Some train services, ferry services and events in eastern Taiwan have been suspended or postponed.

Ferries from Donggang (東港) and Yanpu (鹽埔) ports to Siaoliouciou Island (小琉球) are suspended from tomorrow to Friday.

Taiwan Railway Corp said it canceled its presidential train scheduled to run between Taitung and Ruisui Station in Hualien County on Sunday.

Rock band Mayday has postponed its concerts scheduled from Friday to Sunday in Kaohsiung and Hualien.

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