BEIJING (AP) — The fast-paced Typhoon Mitag was crashing on Monday over northern Taiwan, with gale force and downpours forcing flights to be cancelled and schools and offices closed. Authorities set off alerts in parts of the east and north of the island, including the capital Taipei, where the storm was expected to hit on Monday night.
Classes were cancelled and government offices closed in Taipei and the surrounding areas of New Taipei City, Keelung, Yilan County, Taoyuan and Hsinchu County. Similar orders were also issued on islands on the east coast and ferry services were suspended.
By the early afternoon, all domestic and multi-island flights had been cancelled at the island’s main airport, just outside Taipei.
Weather forecasts suggested that the mitag center would pass just east of the island before heading to Shanghai, in mainland China. It is believed that it will then weaken in its advance towards South Korea and Japan.The typhoon was gaining traction in its advance at about 27 kilometers (17 miles) per hour, with gusts of up to 162 kilometers (100 miles) per hour, according to Taiwan’s weather agency.
