Typhoon Dujuan (Photo : NASA)
Airlines serving Taiwan cancelled their flights on Monday because of Typhoon Dujuan which brought rainfall and wind to the Asian island. Besides cancelled flights, land travel was affected also and schools were closed.
Bloomberg reports that Cathay Pacific delayed or canceled about 30 trips on Monday and Tuesday. From noon, all Mandarin Airlines's domestic flights were canceled. Likewise, TransAsia Airways and Uni Air also canceled flights.
The operator of the Taipei Songshan Airport said over 10 flights between China and Taiwan were delayed or canceled. The Taiwan High Speed Rail Corp. suspended operation of the bullet-train service beginning from 3 p.m.
As of Monday noon, Dujuan was spotted within 170 kilometers east of Hualian, a county in Taiwan's east. It was moving west-northwest at 21 kilometers per hour and is forecast to hit Matsu Island by 11 a.m. of Tuesday.
Dujuan has maximum sustained winds of 184 kilometers per hour, while its gusts could reach 227 kilometers an hour. CNN meteorologist Guy Michael said that Dujuan, which has the equivalent of a Category 3 hurricane, is expected to weaken before it makes a landfall. The typhoon is forecast to dump 500 millimeters of rainfall on central Taiwan's mountainous areas.
Work at offices and financial markets did not have to be suspended because of the bad weather since it was the yearly Mid-Autumn Festival holiday anyway.
