Super Typhoon Krathon tracker: Two dead in Philippines as Taiwan braces for storm’s landfall

A video shared by storm chaser Jason H on X shows heavy winds and high tides in Donggang town in southwestern Taiwan.

“Fairly rough conditions going on outside our hotel in Donggang,” he wrote.

Krathon is forecast to make landfall near Kaohsiung or Tainan city either tonight or tomorrow morning local time, and from there it is projected to move northeast toward Taipei over the next day or so.

While the storm is expected to weaken as it moves inland, it could still cause significant damage, particularly due to heavy rain, flooding, and strong winds.

Authorities have issued extreme rain and wind warnings for multiple regions, with storm surge risks persisting along the coast.

Offices, schools, and businesses across Taiwan, including the financial market in Taipei is already shut as a precaution.

Taiwan’s Central Weather Administration (CWA) expanded typhoon warnings to cover 13 cities and counties, stretching from the southern tip of the island up to Miaoli in the north.

As of 1.15pm local time (5.15am GMT), Typhoon Krathon was located 130 kilometres southwest of Kaohsiung, moving north-northeast at 8 kilometres per hour.

The outer rim of the storm has already engulfed Taitung and extended up the west coast as far as Yunlin, with bands of heavy rain and strong winds posing a significant threat to areas further north.

The cities and counties under the warning include Nantou, Chiayi County, Chiayi City, Pingtung, Changhua, Penghu, Taichung, Tainan, Taitung, Hualien, Miaoli, Yunlin, and Kaohsiung.

Authorities are asking residents across these regions to prepare for potential flooding, landslides, and storm surges as Typhoon Krathon makes its slow approach towards southwestern Taiwan, with landfall possible either tonight or tomorrow morning.

Typhoon Krathon is set to make an unprecedented landfall on Taiwan’s heavily populated west coast near Kaohsiung, bringing flooding and disruption to the region’s industrial and semiconductor sectors.

“Normally, typhoons in the western Pacific (especially in a place like Taiwan) track from east to west across this area,” Jon Davis, chief meteorologist at Everstream Analytics, said.

This is partly why Taiwan’s population is densely concentrated on its west coast and very few people live on the Pacific east coast – which receives the brunt of most storms.

“Typhoon Krathon is going to take a track and make landfall on the west coast of Taiwan near Kaohsiung based on the latest data,” he said.

Krathon’s west coast track is rare, with no major typhoon (Category 3 or higher) making landfall near Kaohsiung in the past 34 years, Mr Davis said.

“This will be an unprecedented event for the southwest portion of Taiwan,” he told The Independent.

TSMC, the world’s largest contract chipmaker and a major Apple and Nvidia supplier, said it did not expect the typhoon would have a significant impact on operations.

TSMC’s factories are along the west coast, where the typhoon is set to make a rare landfall, some in the city of Tainan.

Most typhoons impact the southeastern parts of Taiwan and the western parts, which house some of the biggest companies and millions of people, remain safe from impacts.

However, experts have expressed concerns that Krathon’s path could cause disruption to Taiwan’s financial hubs.

Residents in Taiwan were collecting sandbags, taping glass windows and stocking groceries as authorities urged people to stay at home.

“Because of Typhoon Gaemi being quite severe earlier this year, everyone is more cautious and prepared this time around,” sales representative Yu Ren-yu, 35, told Reuters, picking up sandbags at a government office, referring to July’s storm that killed 11 people.

“First be prepared, then we can face this typhoon.”

People are very prepared this time, said Chou Yi-tang, a government official working in the Siaogang district home to the airport.

For many older residents, the storm brought back memories of the devastation caused by Typhoon Thelma five decades ago.

“We were hit directly by the eyewall,” he added, describing events of Typhoon Thelma. “Power was out for two weeks and no water for almost a month. It was disastrous.”

More than 700 sandbags have been distributed in his district, a record for a typhoon, while authorities are making more to meet demand, he told the agency.

Hong Kong is under intense heat due to Typhoon Krathon as it inches close to Taiwan.

Temperatures soared to around 35 degrees Celsius in several areas of the city.

This unusually high heat is attributed to the typhoon’s influence combined with the northeast monsoon expected to sweep through the region.

Although the typhoon is not expected to come close to Hong Kong, the city’s weather department issued a “very hot weather warning”, advising residents to stay hydrated and avoid outdoor physical activities to prevent heatstroke.

The fire department has reported 46 injuries, mostly in the mountainous eastern county of Taitung, where relentless rainfall and some mudslides have been recorded since Sunday.

One person is also reported missing in the central county of Yunlin.

Hundreds of international flights have been grounded and all domestic travel was stopped today amid Typhoon Krathon in Taiwan.

From yesterday, several airlines were cancelling or rescheduling their flights from Taiwan amid extreme weather.

At least 246 international flights are grounded today, according to Reuters.

Hong Kong-based carrier Cathay Pacific Airways has cancelled flights between its home base and Taiwan from Tuesday to Friday, according to a press release from the company.

Taiwan’s Starlux also rescheduled its flights for later, adding that further changes can be announced later.

The storm has also caused disruptions to train lines. Taiwan’s north-south high-speed rail remains operational, though services have been reduced. However, Taiwan Railways has suspended several trains on both the eastern and western lines, including all services on the South Link Railway.

Ferry services have also been halted amid rough seas.