Typhoon Megi is forecast to make landfall in central Taiwan on Tuesday, the third storm system to hit the island in two weeks.
The typhoon will slam into the island around 3 p.m. (3 a.m. ET), according to CNN meteorologist Tom Sater, bringing dangerous winds, extreme rainfall and the risk of landslides to Taiwan’s less heavily populated east coast.
“The strength of this (typhoon) continues to grow. It’s now equivalent to a category three hurricane in the Atlantic,” Sater said.
After tearing through Taiwan, the typhoon is expected to make a second landfall in Fujian, eastern China, 24 hours later, he added.
Work, classes canceled ahead of landfall
Work and classes have been canceled in central and northern Taiwan close to the typhoon’s path, according to Taiwan’s government, while the Central Weather Bureau has issued warnings for “extremely torrential rain” in some counties.
Taiwan’s stock exchange is also closed and all domestic flights and high-speed rail services have been canceled, according to the official Central News Agency.
On Monday evening, the typhoon was tearing towards the island with winds reaching up to 125 miles per hour (205 kilometers per hour), and causing waves as high as 32 feet (10 meters).
Typhoon Megi will be the third typhoon to smash Taiwan in September. Typhoon Meranti killed two people and injured 63 in the island’s south on September 14, and then typhoon Malakas drenched Taiwan’s north on September 16.
Typhoon Meranti was the strongest storm seen in the region since 2013, leaving hundreds of thousands of Taiwanese homes damaged or without power in its wakes.