Typhoon Gaemi Heads for Taiwan With Category 4 Strength

Typhoon Gaemi was approaching Taiwan with heavy rains and powerful winds on Wednesday, after officials on the island said that they had closed schools and canceled planned military exercises.

Gaemi had maximum sustained winds of 138 miles per hour on Wednesday morning, according to the U.S. Navy’s Joint Typhoon Warning Center. That would make it a Category 4 hurricane on the five-tier scale that is used to measure tropical cyclones in the Atlantic Ocean.

Gaemi was forecast to make landfall on Taiwan’s northeastern coast on Wednesday night in a slightly weakened state, the island’s Central Weather Administration said. After moving away from the island on Friday, it was expected to continue heading northwest toward the coast of southeastern China.

See the likely path for Gaemi.

Meteorologists said the storm was intensifying as it approached Taiwan, an island of about 23 million people.

The storm had “looping track,” they said, meaning that it could remain for longer at the same location, bringing more torrential rain and inflicting more damage. Taiwan was last hit by a typhoon of this strength and type in 2008.

The threat of severe weather forced the closure of schools and businesses, and the cancellation of more than 500 flights, Taiwanese officials said at a briefing Wednesday morning. Bad weather caused by the storm knocked out power to more than 18,000 homes, they added.

There were fewer cars on the road than usual in the capital, Taipei, and long lines at some supermarkets as people stocked up on food and drinking water.

Taiwan on Tuesday canceled several planned military drills, blaming bad weather caused by the typhoon. The personnel involved in those drills will be deployed for emergency preparations and disaster relief, defense officials said.

Gaemi also brought heavy rain to the Philippines, where the storm is called Carina. The national meteorological agency warned of “severe winds” in parts of the country.

Philippine officials said on social media that government offices would be closed on Wednesday in the capital, Manila, where some areas were under knee-deep water.

Yan Zhuang contributed reporting.