Focus Taiwan
Date: 2016/07/08
By: Christie Chen and Tyson Lu

Taipei, July 8 (CNA) Typhoon Nepartak ravaged Taitung Friday, bringing heavy rain and the strongest wind in 61 years to the southeastern county.

At 4:37 a.m. Friday, a weather station recorded gusts of 205 kilometers per hour in Taitung City, which reached the highest level of 17 on the extended Beaufort wind force scale, the Central Weather Bureau said.

The previous record was recorded in 1955, when Typhoon Iris hit Taiwan. At that time, gusts reached up to 186 kph, the bureau said.

The standard Beaufort scale, which measures wind intensity, has 12 levels, with the highest Level 12 considered hurricane-force. Taiwan, however, uses an extended version of the scale that includes 17 levels, with the highest Level 17 referring to gusts that measure between 202 kph and 220 kph.     [FULL  STORY]