Typhoon Koinu Moves Toward Taiwan, on Track for Thursday Landfall

Officials in Taiwan were preparing on Monday for the arrival of Typhoon Koinu, which forecasters said was moving toward the island, with landfall possible on Thursday morning.

The storm, which formed over the weekend, was about 480 miles southeast of Taiwan on Monday afternoon, according to the island’s Central Weather Administration. It was moving west-northwest at about 7 miles an hour, with a maximum sustained wind speed of 89 miles per hour and gusts of 112 m.p.h., the weather agency said.

Parts of the northern Philippines were under wind and rain advisories from the storm, and officials there warned that landslides were possible in mountainous areas.

Forecasters in Taiwan expected Koinu to get stronger in the coming days. By Tuesday, maximum sustained winds were expected to rise to 100 m.p.h., with gusts of 123 m.p.h., according to the Central Weather Administration, which would make it the equivalent of a Category 2 hurricane.

Heavy rain and winds were expected in eastern and southeastern Taiwan on Wednesday and Thursday. Officials had yet to issue warnings for areas likely to be affected by the storm, but said they would likely do so on Tuesday.

Koinu follows Typhoon Saola, which disrupted travel and forced schools to close in Taiwan last month, after prompting evacuations in the Philippines. In July, Typhoon Doksuri caused dozens of deaths in the Philippines from flooding and landslides before grazing Taiwan and eventually making landfall in mainland China.