Typhoon Kong-rey, the 21st typhoon of this year, is expected to make landfall along the eastern coast of Taiwan island between noon and evening on Thursday and will gradually shift northeast towards the mainland, specifically the coastal areas of Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Fujian provinces and Shanghai, according to the China Meteorological Administration.

Shanghai is expected to experience rainfall of between 120 and 180 millimeters with a maximum hourly rainfall of 40 to 70 millimeters. It may become the most extreme precipitation in November since 1981 in the city.

Taiwan's meteorological agency issued a land warning early Wednesday morning. Extremely heavy rain or torrential rain advisories were in effect from Wednesday evening through early Thursday for mountainous areas of Yilan and Hualien counties.

Hualien is forecast to see rainfall of over 900 millimeters on Thursday, the highest in the whole island.

Multiple airlines have issued notices of delays, rescheduling or cancellations of international flights to and from Taiwan.

(Cover: Strong waves break along the coast as Typhoon Kong-rey approaches Taiwan's Yilan County, southeast China, October 30, 2024. /CFP)