Typhoon Krathon hits Taiwan with dangerous winds and heavy rain

Typhoon Krathon crossed Taiwan’s southwestern coast packing dangerous winds, the storm leaving thousands of customers without power and closing the stock market the next day.

Krathon had maximum sustained winds of 126 kilometers (78 miles) per hour before making landfall in Kaohsiung’s Xiaogang district at 12:40 p.m. local time, according to the Central Taiwan Meteorological Administration. It is equivalent to a Category 1 hurricane on the five-step Saffir-Simpson scale.

The slow-moving storm has brought heavy rain to Taiwan all week, battering the industrial and shipping hub Kaohsiung and the historic former capital Tainan. More than 84,000 customers are currently without power, according to state-owned Taiwan Power Co.

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Authorities in Taipei announced late Wednesday that schools and offices would remain closed, even though Taiwan’s capital has so far been relatively unscathed compared to the south. Heavier rain is forecast for the city, its nearby mountains and the neighboring city of New Taipei until Friday morning.

The stock market’s two-day shutdown is only the third since 2016 and follows a similar shutdown in July when Typhoon Gaemi hit the island. Several Taiwanese companies issued statements to the stock exchange that cash dividend payments could be delayed as the typhoon closed their offices.

The risk of flooding and landslides forced the evacuation of nearly 10,000 people by Thursday morning, with 123 injured, two missing and two dead, according to authorities. Some high-speed rail operations were also suspended.

There is some uncertainty about what will come next. Taiwanese authorities predict the storm will slowly move north over the island and weaken to a tropical depression. However, Japan’s weather bureau sees the system heading south, doubling back into the South China Sea.

Another forecaster – the US Navy’s Joint Typhoon Warning Center – sees the storm initially moving north over the island before turning west into the Taiwan Strait and heading towards Hong Kong.

Photo: Members of the Taiwan Coast Guard walk along the coast at Sizihwan Beach in Kaohsiung on October 2, 2024. Photo credit: Walid Berrazeg/AFP/Getty Images

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