Kong-rey was spinning toward eastern Taiwan with picturesque shape and a large eye. Forecasters with the Joint Typhoon Warning Center cautioned that as the storm approaches the coast, it could become erratic, with changes in its forward speed and direction, and may weaken slightly before it makes landfall on Thursday.
Regardless of any weakening, Kong-rey will be a powerful storm as it nears Taiwan.
“Typhoon Kong-rey — a climatological freak,” an experienced typhoon chaser, James Reynolds, posted on social media. “Its track towards Taiwan and potential landfall intensity will make it a once in a generation (if not longer) storm.”
If Kong-rey makes landfall as the equivalent of a Category 4 hurricane, it would be the strongest typhoon to hit Taiwan this late in the year. According to Brian McNoldy, a researcher at the University of Miami, the latest typhoon equivalent to a Category 2 hurricane or stronger to hit Taiwan directly was Krosa on Oct. 6, 2007, which cut power to nearly half a million homes and disrupted air and sea traffic as it came ashore.
After making landfall in Taiwan, Kong-rey is expected to lessen in intensity as it churns travels toward China. China Meteorological Administration said that multiple provinces and cities in the southeast, including Shanghai, the country’s financial hub, will brace for heavy rains and winds on Friday through the weekend.