Update: 09/11 12:42 p.m.
The CWB has expanded its land warning for Super Typhoon Chanthu to a total of 17 counties and cities now, including Nantou County, Chiayi County, Chiayi City, Yilan County, Pingtung County, Changhua County, Pingtung County, New Taipei City, Hsinchu County, Hsinchu City, Taoyuan City, Taichung City, Tainan City, Taitung County, Hualien County, Miaoli County, Yunlin County, and Kaohsiung County.
The sea warning has also been expanded to include parts of northern and northeastern Taiwan. The areas subject to the sea warning now include the Bashi Channel, south Taiwan Strait, North Taiwan Strait, and offshore areas of north Taiwan, northeast Taiwan, and southeast Taiwan.
TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The Central Weather Bureau (CWB) this morning expanded its land warning for Super Typhoon Chanthu (璨樹) to nine counties and cities in southern Taiwan.
At 8:30 a.m., Typhoon Chanthu was about 210 kilometers south-southeast of Taiwan's southernmost tip of Eluanbi, moving north-northwest at a speed of 13 kilometers per hour. It had a radius of 200 km and was packing maximum sustained winds of 183 kph and gusts of up to 226 kph, the CWB reported.
According to the latest observations by the weather bureau, Chanthu's periphery is about to touch land in Taiwan. At 8:30 a.m., the CWB expanded its land warning from Pingtung County and Taitung County to include Nantou County, Chiayi County, Chiayi City, Tainan City, Hualien County, Yunlin County, and Kaohsiung City.
The CWB said that Chanthu has weakened slightly in intensity over the past three hours but is still a powerful typhoon. The mega cyclone's eye has entered the Bashi Channel off the southeast coast of Taiwan.
Chanthu's eye is currently projected to move due north just off the east coast, while the periphery is about to make landfall in the south. The typhoon will pose a threat to Hualien and Taitung counties (including Orchid Island and Green Island), the Hengchun Peninsula, Nantou County, and Yunlin County.
As for Chanthu's future path, the CWB said that it is currently riding the edge of a Pacific high-pressure ridge, with any slight change in pressure to cause it to move either eastward or west toward Taiwan. If it edges further east, the impact of wind and rain on the country will be more moderate.
However, if it shifts west, the accompanying powerful wind and torrential rain will have a much more damaging impact on the country. The CWB advises the public to closely monitor weather reports on the storm's progress today and Sunday (Sept. 12).
Map of Typhoon Chanthu's projected path. (CWB image)
Wind radii probability map for Chanthu and Conson. (CWB image)
Map of Typhoon Chanthu's projected path. (JTWC image)
