TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The Central Weather Bureau (CWB) at 5:30 p.m. on Friday (Sept. 10) evening issued a land warning for Super Typhoon Chanthu (璨樹), just 12 hours after it issued a sea warning at 5:30 a.m.

At 2 p.m., Typhoon Chanthu was about 530 kilometers south-southeast of Taiwan's southernmost tip of Eluanbi, moving north-northwest at a speed of 17 kilometers per hour. It had a radius of 200 km and was packing maximum sustained winds of 208 kph and gusts of up to 262 kph, the CWB reported.

In its sea warning, the CWB announced the mega cyclone's eye wall is approaching the Bashi Channel and posing a threat to the Bashi Channel, the waters off the coast of southeastern Taiwan, and the southern part of the Taiwan Strait. Because the weather bureau believes the storm is also increasingly likely to pose a threat to Taiwan's land, it issued a land warning at 5:30 p.m. for Pingtung County and Taitung County.

Sea and land warning issued for Super Typhoon Chanthu. (CWB image)

The CWB predicts that as the typhoon closes in on Taiwan, its periphery will begin to impact the country Friday evening, bringing rain to eastern Taiwan. Rain and wind will intensify on Saturday (Sept. 11), when heavy rains are likely in eastern Taiwan, Keelung City, and the Hengchun Peninsula.

On Saturday, residents of all parts of Taiwan should take precautions against strong winds and torrential rains. The most intense areas of precipitation will likely be central and northern Taiwan, Yilan County, Hualien County, and mountainous areas, especially in northern and eastern Taiwan, where torrential rains are probable.

CWB forecasters are currently unable to determine the storm's precise path over the weekend. However, CWB forecaster Hsu Chung-yi (徐仲毅) said waves will gradually increase in height in the Bashi Channel and waters off southeastern Taiwan.

He added there will be large waves off the coast of Keelung, eastern Taiwan (including Orchid Island and Green Island), the central and southern regions, the Hengchun Peninsula, Penghu, and Kinmen. Hsu warned people to exercise extreme caution near coastal areas.

Map of Typhoon Chanthu's projected path. (CWB image)

Wind radii probability map for Chanthu and Conson. (CWB image)

Map of Typhoon Chanthu's projected path. (JTWC image)

Map of Typhoon Chanthu's projected path. (JMA image)

(Windy image)