A very large and powerful late-season typhoon is causing ferocious winds and torrential rain in Taiwan as it bears down on the country’s east coast.

The video below shows Typhoon Kong-rey gaining strength to the southeast of Taiwan earlier this week, drawing energy from abnormally warm water in the Western Pacific Ocean.

Video: Images of Typhoon Kong-rey captured by the Himawari-9 satellite. Source: RAMMB/CIRA

Kong-rey had become a massive system by Wednesday, with its outer rainbands already starting to reach Taiwan’s east coast in the afternoon despite its eye still sitting about 400 km offshore.

Typhoon Kong-rey's eye had grown to more than 80km wide by Thursday morning as the powerful system continued to batter eastern Taiwan with heavy rain and squally winds.

A weather station on Orchid Island (LanYu), off the southeast coast of mainland Taiwan, registered wind gusts in excess of 280 km/h on Thursday morning before the station’s wind observations went offline. Other impressive wind observations on Thurdsay included 234 km/h on Green Island (Ludao) and 212 km/h at LanYu High School on Orchid Island.

The animation below shows Kong-rey approaching Taiwan from the southeast on Thursday morning, with the system continuing to drive wind and rain into the country’s east coast as it approaches.

Video: Radar imagery showing Typhoon Kong-rey approaching Taiwan on Thursday morngin.

Some mountainous areas in eastern and central Taiwan had received 500 to 1000 mm of rain between Wednesday morning and 11:30am local time on Thursday, including:

• 996.5 mm at Yuanyanghu
• 758.0 mm at Tuchang
• 649 mm at Liumaoan
• 608 mm at Shenmazhen

Fortunately, Typhoon Kong-rey is undergoing an eyewall replacement cycle as it approaches Taiwan, which will cause the system to lose some strength before making landfall.

Typhoon Kong-rey will make landfall over eastern Taiwan on Thursday afternoon and should weaken further as it interacts with the country’s high central mountain range. There is some uncertainty regarding its track after landfall, although computer models suggest it will turn towards the north after crossing Taiwan and weaken further as it heads towards the East China Sea on Friday.