The Central Weather Bureau has issued land and sea warnings for Tropical Storm Mekkhala, which is heading toward the Taiwan Strait. The land warning covers the outlying islands of Penghu and Kinmen, while the sea warning covers waters to the south, west, and north of Taiwan.
As of 4:15pm on Monday (Taiwan Time), the storm was located about 270km west-southwest of the southernmost tip of Taiwan. It was moving at a speed of about 25km per hour, slowing to 21km per hour.
Maximum sustained winds near the center of the storm were about 72km per hour, with gusts of up to 100km per hour.
Weather bureau projections show the storm sweeping up through the strait that divides Taiwan and China. It’s likely to draw closest to the main island of Taiwan some time between late Monday night and Tuesday morning.
Premier Su Tseng-chang visited the Central Weather Bureau on Monday morning. He lauded meteorologists at the bureau for being the first in the world to report on the storm, which formed on Sunday night. He also urged the public to be prepared for the coming storm.