Typhoon Gaemi lashed northern Taiwan on Thursday, killing two people, causing flooding and traffic disruptions, before heading across the sea to China, where it is expected to bring more torrential rain.
Gaemi made landfall on the northeastern coast of Taiwan’s Yilan County around midnight (1600 GMT on Wednesday). According to the Central Meteorological Administration, it is the most powerful typhoon to hit the island in eight years and had winds of up to 227 kilometres per hour (141 mph) before weakening.
By 8:30 am (0100 GMT), it was in the Taiwan Strait and heading towards Fuzhou in China’s Fujian province.
More rain is expected in Taiwan, due to which offices, schools and financial markets will remain closed for a second day on Thursday.
Trains, including the high-speed line linking northern and southern Taiwan, will be suspended until 3 pm (0700 GMT), and all domestic flights and 185 international flights will be cancelled for the day.
The government said the typhoon killed two people and injured 266. Taiwanese television stations showed images of flooded streets in cities and counties across the island.
Chinese weather forecasters said Gaemi will pass through Fujian and gradually move north with less intensity. But weather forecasters expect that as it moves north, many areas will receive heavy rain.
Government officials have already prepared for the expected heavy rains and flooding – they have issued advisories and warnings in the coastal provinces of Fujian and Zhejiang.
Meanwhile, northern China is seeing heavy rain from summer storms around a separate weather system. According to Chinese state media, authorities in the capital, Beijing, issued a red alert late Wednesday for torrential rain expected on Thursday.
The Beijing Fangshan District Meteorological Observatory forecast that many parts of the city would receive more than 150 mm (6 inches) of rain in six hours by 10 am (0200 GMT), and some other areas would receive more than 200 mm (8 inches) in 24 hours, state television reported.