SATELLITE IMAGE FROM Regional and Mesoscale Meteorology Branch
Taiwanese were told Wednesday to brace for extreme winds and lashing rains as the first typhoon of the season approached, prompting the evacuation of thousands of tourists from offshore islands.
Typhoon Nepartak (named 鈥淏utchoy鈥� in PH) was blowing gusts of up to 263 kilometres (163 miles) an hour, some 780 kilometres southeast of Taiwan鈥檚 Hualien city at 0900 GMT, the island鈥檚 Central Weather Bureau said.
The 鈥渟uper-typhoon鈥� would likely make landfall early Friday morning, the bureau added.
鈥淎s the typhoon kept gaining strength and approaching Taiwan over the past three hours, the Central Weather Bureau decided to issue a sea warning at 2:30 pm (0630 GMT),鈥� senior forecaster Chen Yi-liang told reporters.
鈥淭he typhoon could bring in strong winds and torrential rains鈥esidents must heighten their vigilance.鈥�
The tropical storm had a radius of 200 kilometres and was moving west-northwest at a speed of 20 kilometres an hour, the bureau added.
Since Tuesday, more than 3,000 visitors have been evacuated from Green Island and Orchid Island, two popular tourist spots off southeastern Taitung county, local government officials said.
The defense ministry said it had ordered around 35,000 soldiers to be on standby.
Super typhoon Dujuan killed three people and left more than 300 injured in Taiwan last year after it pounded the island with fierce winds and torrential rains that uprooted trees and triggered multiple landslides. TVJ
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