Around the World | Typhoon Kong-Ri moves towards Taiwan, severely impacting many and likely to be the most severe in years

Arab Weather - Meteorologists at the Arab Weather Meteorological Monitoring Center are monitoring the latest indications of the internally developed remote sensing systems, in addition to what the monitoring systems are monitoring about the development of the tropical storm into a Category 2 hurricane (Kong-Ri), which has begun to affect Taiwan and is classified as Category 3. It is surrounded by very large amounts of cumulonimbus clouds laden with heavy rains and thunderstorms, accompanied by strong winds exceeding 200 km/h, accompanied by high waves that threaten floods.

Weather Center: Forecasts indicate that the typhoon will move to hit Taiwan directly

After monitoring the latest computer modeling data at the Arab Weather Center, it is expected that the cyclone will move north and directly hit Taiwan during the day, as the eye of the cyclone crosses the land and is accompanied by strong winds and strong thunderstorms, accompanied by huge amounts of rain that threaten flooding in several areas.

Huge amounts of rain will be brought by the cyclone in the coming days, which may reach 1000-1500 mm.

According to the latest outputs of advanced computer modeling at the Arab Weather Center, numerical models that sense the locations and amounts of rainfall expect that Taiwan will witness rainfall that may exceed 1,000 and may reach 1,500 mm in the coming days due to the passage of a strong tropical cyclone, Typhoon Kong-Ri (and it is not unlikely that it will exceed that in some areas). According to experts at the Arab Weather Center, this amount is very exceptional, as some areas may receive more than half of their annual rainfall in a few days, and this amount is equivalent to what falls on Riyadh, for example, in about a century or two.

Rainfall exceeding 1000 mm, what does it mean in reality?

Meteorologists at the Arab Weather Center explained that the amounts of rain expected by computer simulation models mean that the surface of the Earth in Taiwan will receive huge amounts of water. If the amount of rain is 1500 mm, it means that 1 liter of water will be received by every square meter, and the amount of rain 1500 mm is equivalent to 1500 liters of water per square meter.

This large amount of rainfall can lead to flooding, especially if the soil is unable to absorb the water quickly enough. It can also cause soil erosion, which affects agriculture and plants, and increases the risk of landslides. Roads and buildings can also be severely affected by floods and landslides, in addition to crops being affected, damaged and submerged, leading to losses in agricultural production.

Schools closed, 8 counties evacuated as hurricane approaches

Taiwanese authorities announced on Wednesday the closure of schools and offices on remote islands in eastern Taitung County, where the typhoon is expected to make direct contact. Schools and work will also be suspended on Thursday in a number of cities and regions, and many ferries and domestic flights were also canceled on Wednesday.

Evacuations began Wednesday in eight counties and cities including Yilan, Hualien and Taitung. More than 6,200 people had been evacuated by Wednesday evening, and soldiers were called in to fill sandbags and help residents protect their homes after waves exceeded five metres (16 feet) high on Taiwan’s coast on Wednesday as Typhoon Kong-ri approached, forecast to strengthen before making landfall as one of the strongest storms to hit the country in years.

And God knows best.