Typhoon Kong-rey Slams Taiwan, Strongest Storm Since 1996.

Taipei, Taiwan, CNN — Taiwan faced severe rains and intense winds on Thursday as Typhoon Kong-rey, the strongest storm to hit the island in nearly 30 years, made landfall along the southeast coast. The storm has resulted in at least one fatality and left dozens injured.

Typhoon Kong-rey brought wind speeds nearing 200 kilometers per hour (125 mph), equivalent to a Category 3 Atlantic hurricane, as it struck Taitung County Thursday afternoon, according to the Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC). With a radius of maximum wind reaching 320 kilometers (nearly 200 miles) on Wednesday night, Kong-rey is the largest typhoon to hit Taiwan since Typhoon Herb in 1996, said Chang Chun-yao, a forecaster at Taiwan’s Central Weather Administration.

In central Nantou County, a 56-year-old woman was killed when a tree fell on her car, reported Taiwan’s Central Emergency Operations Center (CEOC). Across the island, at least 73 people have sustained storm-related injuries.

Ahead of the typhoon’s arrival, local authorities closed schools and businesses, while Taiwan’s stock market temporarily halted trading. Taiwan’s military mobilized more than 34,000 soldiers to support rescue efforts, and over 8,600 people were evacuated from high-risk areas on Wednesday, according to the CEOC.

More than 500 flights, including 300 international routes, were canceled, and ferry services to Taiwan’s outlying islands were suspended, reported the Civil Aviation Administration. High-speed rail services operated at reduced capacity, and the Taipei metro suspended service in open-air sections.

Images shared by Taiwan’s Central News Agency and social media showed violent waves pounding Taitung County’s coast, with parts of neighboring Hualien County flooded. Across the island, toppled road signs and downed traffic lights reflected the storm’s intensity.

Kong-rey intensified rapidly to super typhoon status on Wednesday after striking the Philippines. Though slightly weaker by the time it reached Taiwan, the typhoon still unleashed torrential rains, flash floods, storm surges, and landslide risks. Taiwan’s weather agency issued its highest-level “extremely torrential” rainfall alert for parts of Yilan, Hualien, Taichung, and Taitung counties. Additional rainfall of up to 50 centimeters (20 inches) is expected in parts of eastern Taiwan, which could cause further flash flooding and landslides, according to the Central Weather Administration (CWA).

Rising ocean temperatures, driven by climate change, are contributing to faster storm intensification, scientists report. This year alone, Kong-rey is the third typhoon to hit Taiwan, following Typhoons Krathon and Gaemi. Earlier this month, Typhoon Krathon led to four deaths, bringing heavy rainfall to Taiwan’s southern regions.

The storm’s outer bands also impacted the Philippines’ main island of Luzon, prompting evacuations after Tropical Storm Trami, locally known as Kristine, left at least 130 dead the previous week.

After passing through Taiwan, Kong-rey is expected to move into the East China Sea and head toward Japan.