Super Typhoon Batters Taiwan - Landfall Still 24 Hours Away

HUKOU, HSINCHU COUNTY

UPDATE: 13:00:

Wind speeds are rapidly increasing.  Building structures are breaking under the stress.  My neighbor's pigeon coop blew over and pieces of sheet metal are flying throughout the neighborhood.  Nevertheless, people are ignoring the potential danger.  Our power is intermittent in Hukou.

UPDATE 15:30:

Signs are blowing off local business buildings, flung about like leaves.  Our neighbor's pigeon coop is now in the next neighbor's roof area.  Anything that isn't tied down is blowing away in these gale-force winds that propel ordinary objects at high speed and create very real projectile hazards.  Just being outside feels like having your skin sandblasted by the wind driven rain.

 
Thai man using his mobile phone outside a local karaoke club, amid strong winds and rain 

In the southern city of Kaohsiung this morning, government officials declined to declare a day off from work, which lead to numerous motor scooter incidents, with riders being blown down and in some cases, off their vehicles.

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Super typhoon Krosa is still approximately 24 hours away from making landfall on northern Taiwan, and yet the island nation is taking a beating from gale-force winds and heavy rains.   

"Fences are being blown down in my neighborhood" says Michael Turton, a longtime resident of the central county of Taichung. "Tree limbs are next."   Taichung is currently not experiencing the heavy rains that other areas are, but the situation is expected to deteriorate as the typhoon approaches.

UPDATE: I have managed to snap a few photographs safely.

 
Sheets of rain blow past my window.

Heavy downpour. 

 KROSA is expected to continue moving NW'ly at a
faster pace, with its EYE passing over the Northern tip of Taiwan
tonight. Dangerous Eyewall will affect Northern Taiwan including Taipei
late this afternoon. The EYE shall pass about 30 km to the NE of Taipei
around 11 PM tonight before turning poleward (North) towards the coast
of SE China.

Bushman's Typhoon Blog: Super Typhoon KROSA (INENG) approaching Northern Taiwan... [Update #009]

Rain bands engluf Taiwan.

The lastest forecast graphic. 

Click on the map to go to the Taiwan government Center Weather Bureau website.

07fW40062 WTCI RCTP 060000 = WARNING VALID 070000Z = WARNING IS UPDATED EVERY 3 HOURS = TYPHOON 200715 (KROSA 200715) WARNING = POSITION 060000Z AT TWO THREE POINT EIGHT NORTH ( 23.8N ) ONE TWO THREE POINT FIVE EAST ( 123.5E ) = MOVEMENT NEXT 24HRS NW BECOMING NNW 15KM/HR BECOMING 11KM/HR MIN SURFACE PRESSURE 925 HPA = MAX SUSTAINED WINDS NEAR CENTER 51 METER PER SECOND GUST 63 METER PER SECOND = RADIUS OF OVER 15M/S WINDS 300 KM = FORECAST POSITION = 12HRS VALID AT 061200Z AT TWO FIVE POINT ONE NORTH ( 25.1N ) ONE TWO TWO POINT FOUR EAST ( 122.4E )= 24HRS VALID AT 070000Z AT TWO SIX POINT TWO NORTH ( 26.2N ) ONE TWO TWO POINT ZERO EAST ( 122.0E )= 48HRS VALID AT 080000Z AT TWO EIGHT POINT THREE NORTH ( 28.3N ) ONE TWO THREE POINT TWO EAST ( 123.2E )= 72HRS VALID AT 090000Z AT THREE ZERO POINT TWO NORTH ( 30.2N ) ONE TWO FIVE POINT THREE EAST ( 125.3E )=

Central Weather Bureau Web Site