rly morning tomorrow with unusually heavy rainfall seen to reach 800 to 1,100 mm in northern and northwestern mountain regions, according to the Central Weather Bureau (CWB). CWB officials advised residents to stay away from coastal areas as well as mountains and rivers for safety.
All companies and stores should double check their street signs and people should tie their potted plants and other objects on balconies while clearing up the drainage systems, they said.
Officials at the Council of Agriculture said mud and rock slides to be brought by the heavy rains will pose new threats.
At 11 p.m., Krosa was centered at around 370 km east of Oluanpi -- the southernmost tip of Taiwan -- moving northwesterly at 14 kph toward the island and packing maximum sustained winds of 184 kph.
Affected by the outer edge of the typhoon, most parts in the northern and northeastern regions of Taiwan already experienced heavy rains yesterday. The CWB predicted that the rainfall brought about by Typhoon Krosa in mountainous areas over the weekend is likely to reach 800-1,100 mm in the northern and northeastern regions.
The rainfall may reach 600-800 mm in the central region, 300-500 mm in Tainan, and 200-400 mm in Kaohsiung and Pingtung of southern Taiwan, compared with 200-400 mm in southeastern Taitung County.
In low-lying areas, rainfall is expected to amount to 300-500 mm in the northern region, 400-600 mm in the northeastern region, 200-300 mm in central Taiwan, and 80-150 mm in the south.
Tsai Fu-tien, an official responsible for weather forecasts at the CWB, said that as Krosa approaches Taiwan, it will decrease in speed but may pick up strength along the way.
He predicted that when the strong typhoon gets closer to the island, it will turn north and drop further in speed.
How the typhoon will affect Taiwan depends on where it lands, the meteorologist said, noting that the CWB meteorologists will not be able to determine how much of an effect the typhoon will have on the island until it gets closer.
The typhoon is expected to reach the sea 120 km southeast of the northeastern Yilan County by 8 p.m. today.
Tsai forecast that the typhoon may either pass across the northern part of Taiwan or make landfall in the eastern region before moving into the Taiwan Strait.
Krosa was upgraded to a typhoon from a tropical storm on Tuesday, and since then, it has been moving northwest at 16 kph. On Thursday night, the typhoon's speed had decreased to 10 kph, according to the CWB.
