In the early hours of Monday, Typhoon Danas, the fourth typhoon of the year according to China’s National Meteorological Center (NMC), made landfall in Chiayi County on the island of Taiwan at 11:40 p.m. Sunday. Downgraded from a severe storm to a regular typhoon, Danas brought maximum sustained winds of 40 m/s (Category 13) and a central pressure of 960 hPa.
Early Monday, strong gusts and heavy rain pounded Tainan City, triggering power outages for more than 1,000 households in Kaohsiung City and 15 in Chiayi County, while a mudslide struck Taitung County.
The NMC kept a yellow alert in effect Monday morning as Danas barreled north-northeast at 15–20 km/h, gradually weakening. Forecasts show it shifting west-southwest from July 8, targeting coastal areas between Taizhou in Zhejiang Province and Fuzhou in Fujian Province on the Chinese mainland. Landfall there is likely between the afternoon and night of July 8.
After landfall, Danas is expected to linger, with its residual circulation bringing heavy rain to the Jiangnan region (south of the Yangtze River) and parts of south China from July 9 to 11.
As of 7 a.m. Sunday, the typhoon was 257 km off the coast of Wenzhou in Zhejiang Province, packing Force 11 gusts on the Beaufort scale and a central pressure of 975 hPa, moving north-northeast at 18 km/h.
In response, the Zhejiang Maritime Safety Administration activated a Level II emergency typhoon response in its southern sector starting at 8 a.m. Sunday under China’s four-tier flood control system (with Level I as the most severe).
Residents and authorities across the region are monitoring Danas closely as it charts a path toward the Chinese mainland’s east coast. Stay tuned for updates.
Reference(s):
cgtn.com
