TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taiwan's Orchid Island on Wednesday (Oct. 4) recorded the third-strongest wind gust in world history and the highest ever in Asia during Typhoon Koinu, according to the Central Weather Administration (CWA).
As Typhoon Koinu's storm circle enveloped Taitung County's Orchid Island at 9:53 p.m., the Orchid Island weather station measured a gust of 95.2 meters per second or 342.72 kph (212.95 mph), exceeding level 17, the top of the Beaufort scale, CWA reported. The Taitung weather station said the measurement broke Taiwan's 126-year record and the anemometer was damaged.
Huang Chia-mei (黃嘉美), head of the CWA's Taitung Weather Station, said that at 9:40 p.m. on Wednesday, an average wind speed of 55.2 meters per second at level 16 on the Beaufort scale was recorded on Orchid Island. At 9:53 p.m., a guest of 95.2 mps was measured, exceeding level 17.
According to Huang, this measurement was the highest seen in the 126 years since anemometers were first installed in Taiwan in 1897. In addition, such was the force of the winds generated by Koinu "the anemometer then broke down."
CWA said over the past 10 years, there have been three typhoons with winds greater than the level 17 measured at the Lanyu Weather Station, including Chanthu in 2021, Nepartak in 2016, and Usagi in 2013. However, the observed wind speeds of these three typhoons were still lower than that of Koinu.
The previous record for the strongest wind in Orchid Island was Alex in 1984, reaching a speed of 89.8 mps, which was also shattered by Koinu.
On Thursday, CNA reported that over 90% of the ships moored at Kaiyuan Port in Orchid Island had capsized or disappeared. In Lanyu Township, many houses near the seaside collapsed, the township office was flooded, almost the entire township was without power, roads were cut off, flights and ferries were suspended, and Lanyu Senior High School was flooded.
Multiple ships flipped over at Orchid Island's Kaiyuan Port. (CNA photo)
Lecture hall at Lanyu Senior High School is heavily damaged. (CNA photo)
