Chan-hom had sustained wind speeds up to 115 mph on Friday morning, and its outer rain bands stretched across almost 300 miles of coastline from Shanghai to Wenzhou.
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When NASA’s Terra satellite passed over Typhoon Chan-Hom early on July 10 (EDT) the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) instrument captured a visible-light image of the storm that showed the eye had “re-opened”.
TAIPEI-Government offices and schools in northern Taiwan and the island’s financial markets were ordered closed for Friday as the northern part of the island braces for Tyhoon Chan-hom, said the government.
About 38,000 army personnel and rescue workers are on standby notice, the Ministry of National Defense said.
“Chan-Hom moved slightly north on its way to Taiwan because of a little “push” from Linfa, as well as a receding high-pressure system in the Pacific Ocean, which explained why the bureau previously forecast that it might not issue a land alert”, he said.
China is on the highest alert as super typhoon Chan-Hom approaches the eastern coast with winds of up to 187 km per hour.
It said it could not operate the filghts in the adverse weather conditions.
Spring Airlines canceled 32 flights scheduled to fly into or out of Shanghai today and said further cancellations might follow tomorrow. Since the Yellow Sea is shallow and enclosed on three sides, the potential exists for some of the highest water levels ever recorded along portions of the coast south of Shanghai. Wind speeds are increasing along the coast as the typhoon’s outer rain bands have already begun to sweep over the densely populated region.
The meteorological agency warned on Friday that strong winds and high waves would continue to pound the island chain where 42,000 households had been left without power.
“The typhoon seems very powerful”.
Typhoon Linfa has made landfall in Lufeng city in south China’s Guangdong Province.
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The super typhoon is expected to reach Shanghai over the weekend, where forecasters say it faces its strongest storms in 35 years. “We have sealed all our windows and doors and have stored food”, said Liu Yimin, a villager in coastal Huagang village, according to Xinhua.
