A powerful Typhoon Krathon is forecast to hit Taiwan’s populated west coast

Taiwan issued a land warning on Monday ahead of the arrival of Typhoon Krathon, which has strengthened into the equivalent of a Category 4 hurricane and is expected to cross the densely populated west coast, bringing torrential rain and strong winds.

Taiwan is regularly hit by typhoons, but they generally make landfall along the mountainous and sparsely populated east coast facing the Pacific.

Krathon is forecast to hit the main port city of Kaohsiung late Wednesday morning, then cross central Taiwan heading northeast and cross the East China Sea, the Central Meteorological Administration (CWA) said.

The typhoon strengthened into the equivalent of a Category 4 hurricane, packing strong winds of more than 210 km/h (125 mph) near its center, according to Tropical Storm Risk.

“The impact is getting bigger and bigger,” said CWA meteorologist Gene Huang, pointing to threats to southwestern Taiwan and adding that it is “rare” for such a powerful typhoon to directly hit the island’s western plains.

“This is a first in history for a typhoon with such movement and intensity,” Huang said.

Huang warned residents there to be prepared for extreme winds of more than 150 km/h (93 mph).

Taiwanese authorities said more than 1,000 rubber boats and 15,000 troops were on standby in Taiwan, including on the east coast, where up to 1.3 meters (four feet) of rain is expected in the coming days.

“All military hospitals have set up emergency medical teams and are ready to support at any time,” said Defense Ministry spokesman Sun Li-fang.

Boats to Taiwan’s outlying islands have already been canceled and some domestic flights have been suspended.

The rail line connecting southern Taiwan to the east coast stopped running mid-afternoon on Monday, although other services, including the north-south high-speed rail, are operating normally, the transport ministry said.

He added that international flights have not yet been affected.

In July, Typhoon Gaemi killed at least 11 people in Taiwan.

(Reporting by Ben Blanchard and Yimou Lee; Editing by Kim Coghill and Michael Perry)

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Natural disaster trends