Global Courant
MANILA — Typhoon Doksuri has rapidly intensified and may become a super typhoon as it threatens to hit land north of the Philippines before possibly moving into Taiwan.
The typhoon, called Egay in the Philippines, has maximum sustained winds of 140 km/h and gusts of up to 170 km/h, the Philippine weather agency Pagasa reported Monday.
Heading west at 9 mph, it is forecast to make landfall between Tuesday and Wednesday or pass very close to the northern islands of the Philippines, the local agency said.
It is expected to be about 90 km from the port city of Kaohsiung in southern Taiwan on Wednesday, according to the US Army’s Joint Typhoon Warning Center.
The second in a five-level wind signal system has been lifted in some areas in the eastern Philippines, posing light to moderate risks to light structures.
The typhoon may also occasionally bring rain to other parts of Luzon’s main island as it strengthens the southwest monsoon, the state’s weather bureau said.
Last Saturday, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. that government work and public school classes in Metro Manila have been suspended for Monday.
Mr Marcos, who will deliver his State of the Nation speech on the day, cited weather hazards and a planned transport strike for the suspension.
The Joint Typhoon Warning Center is located in Doksuri, about 640 km east of Manila. It predicted the storm would make its closest approach to Taipei and Hong Kong on Thursday, before heading into Shanghai.
Doksuri may become the first typhoon to hit Taiwan since 2019, according to Mr. Chang Cheng Chuan, a forecaster with Taiwan’s Central Forecast Center. The first impact on circulation in the outer regions could be felt on Tuesday, with immediate effects from Wednesday to Thursday, Mr Chang said.
According to the Hong Kong Observatory, the possibility of Doksuri moving towards the coast of eastern Guangdong “still cannot be ruled out” as it is predicted to “gradually” move closer to Taiwan this week. BLOOMBERG
