Typhoon Meranti has passed over southern Taiwan, bringing powerful wind and heavy rain.
Wind gusts on Orchid Island, off southeastern Taiwan, clocked in between 56-61 meters per second on Wednesday. Meanwhile, wind gusts on the southern Hengchun Peninsula reached 51-56 meters per second, the strongest since records began 120 years ago. Waves in some areas off the southeast coast swelled to over 11 meters high. The Central Weather Bureau also warned of heavy rain across Taiwan on Wednesday.
The typhoon reportedly knocked out power to more than 260,000 homes. As of Wednesday afternoon, more than 210,000 are still waiting for power to be restored.
The storm has now moved into the Taiwan Strait and will make landfall in Mainland China on Thursday morning. However, a second storm, Tropical Storm Malakas, is already moving towards Taiwan. It is expected to develop into a typhoon, and will approach northern Taiwan on Saturday.