Typhoon Megi slammed into the coast of northeast Taiwan on Tuesday, the third storm system to hit the island in two weeks.
The typhoon made landfall at 1.30 p.m. (1.30 a.m. ET) packing winds of 115 mph (185 kph) with gusts of 144 kph (230 kph) and bringing extreme rainfall and the risk of landslides to the islands less heavily populated east coast, according to CNN meteorologists.
“The storm is a dangerous typhoon and is expected to dump heavy rain over much of the island,” said Michael Guy, a CNN meteorologist. “Some areas could get upwards of 300-500 mm of rainfall.”
“This can cause mudslides and landslides. Also, expect more power outages and flash flooding as well,” he added.
After tearing through Taiwan, the typhoon — equivalent to a category three hurricane in the Atlantic — is expected to weaken and make a second landfall in Fujian, eastern China, 24 hours later.
Storm chaser James Reynolds, who is in the eastern city of Hualien, said that winds were picking up and surges of sea water were consuming the port’s sea wall.
Work, classes canceled ahead of landfall
Work and classes have been canceled across Taiwan as the typhoon closes in, 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.
More than 130,000 homes lost power at some point on Tuesday as the typhoon began to batter the island.
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.