The Central Weather Bureau (CWB) predicts Typhoon Haikui will make landfall in Taiwan on Sunday. The bureau is expected to issue a sea warning on Friday evening and a land warning as early as Saturday morning.
As of Friday morning, Typhoon Haiku is 870 km southeast of Taipei moving west at 21 kph. Haikui has a radius of 150 km, sustained winds of 118.8 kph, and gusts up to 154.8 kph. However, the maximum sustained wind speed near the center may increase to 136.8 kph, with a radius of 180 km.
Bureau forecaster Liu Yu-chi (劉宇其) says the typhoon could make landfall in Yilan or Hualien. However, the path could move further southwards and hit Taitung. The storm’s eye is likely to pass directly over Taiwan on Sunday before gradually moving towards Fujian in China on Monday. However, the bureau says Haikui’s path and its impact on Taiwan remains uncertain.
Heavy rain warnings have been issued on Friday for Yunlin County, Chiayi City, Chiayi County, Tainan City, and Yilan County’s mountainous area. Brief showers are forecasted across the country on Saturday. Heavy rain is likely to hit the country, especially in the mountainous areas, on Sunday.