Typhoon Dujuan Nears Taiwan with Rain, Wind; Airlines Cancel Flights

Typhoon Dujuan lashed Taiwan with rain and wind as it neared the island on Monday, forcing schools to shut and disrupting land and air traffic.

Cathay Pacific Airways Ltd. canceled or delayed about 30 flights Monday and Tuesday, the airline company said in a text message. Mandarin Airlines canceled all domestic flights from noon while TransAsia Airways and Uni Air also canceled several dozen flights, according to Taipei Songshan Airport. More than 10 flights between Taiwan and China had either been canceled or delayed, the airport said.

The storm had closed to within 170 kilometers (105 miles) east of Taiwan’s eastern county of Hualian by noon Monday, the Central Weather Bureau said. Dujuan, moving west-northwest at 21 kilometers an hour, is forecast to come within 130 kilometers southwest of Taiwan’s Matsu island by 11 a.m. Tuesday. The typhoon had maximum sustained winds of 184 kilometers an hour and gusts as high as 227 kilometers an hour, according to the bureau.

Bullet-train services will be suspended from 3 p.m. as a precautionary measure, Taiwan High Speed Rail Corp. said in a statement on its website.

Taiwan’s offices and financial markets are closed Monday for the annual Mid-Autumn Festival holiday.