Typhoon Gaemi strongest to hit Taiwan in 8 years | DW News

All flights were grounded and schools and offices were closed in Taiwan, as the island braced for one of the strongest storms in years that is expected to unload damaging winds and torrential rainfall.

Typhoon Gaemi is expected to make landfall on Taiwan's northeastern coast by 10 p.m. (1400 GMT), authorities said, with the storm estimated to bring about 1,800 mm or 70 inches of rain to southern and central Taiwan. The first typhoon of the season to affect the island, Gaemi was packing maximum sustained winds of 190 kilometers (118 miles) per hour. The storm has already affected Japan and the Philippines, enhancing the seasonal monsoon rains in Manila. The rains set off a dozen landslides and floods over five days, killing at least eight people, according to Philippine authorities. After crossing the Taiwan Strait, Gaemi is likely to hit the southeastern Chinese province of Fujian late on Thursday afternoon.