TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Typhoon Danas was in the center of the Taiwan Strait and moving northeast along Taiwan’s coast at a speed of 21 to 28 kph on Sunday evening. Winds over 30 meters per second were recorded near Penghu as the storm was still gaining strength.

As of 8 p.m., all counties in southern and central Taiwan announced the suspension of work and classes on Monday, July 7, per the Cabinet. This includes Pingtung, Kaohsiung, Tainan, and Chiayi in the south, and Yunlin, Nantou, Changhua, Taichung, and Miaoli in the central region.  

In northern Taiwan, Hsinchu County and Hsinchu City canceled work and classes, along with four coastal districts in Taoyuan County: Luzhu, Dayuan, Xinwu, and Guanyin Districts. The typhoon may make landfall between Miaoli and Taoyuan, and it is predicted that coastal areas of Hsinchu will be hit the hardest, reported UDN.  

Northern and eastern Taiwan will have work and classes as usual, with the exception of Hsinchu and Taoyuan’s coastal districts. Just before 8 p.m. on Sunday, Taipei, New Taipei, and Keelung announced that Typhoon Danas did not meet the criteria for suspending work and school. 

The trajectory of Typhoon Danas, moving between Penghu and Taiwan’s west coast, is especially rare, accounting for less than 7% of all recorded typhoons in over a century. The most recent typhoon that took a similar trajectory occurred in 1986, per UDN.

The public is urged to exercise caution during the typhoon and observe land and sea warnings. People in Taoyuan, Hsinchu, and Miaoli should expect strong winds early Monday morning as the storm reaches its peak strength. 

Be aware that extreme rainfall is possible in all areas west of the Central Mountain Range.