Super Typhoon Kong-Re is headed towards Taiwan. The storm is moving at a speed of 240 kilometers per hour (150 miles per hour). It became a super typhoon on Wednesday. The Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) has released this information.

According to CNN, it has the same destructive power as a Category 4 Atlantic hurricane. The super-strong typhoon is expected to make landfall in Taitung, a sparsely populated county on Taiwan's southeast coast, on Thursday morning.

Chu Mei-lin, a meteorologist with the Taiwan Meteorological Agency, said at a press conference Wednesday morning that storm surges are likely to develop over most of Taiwan by late night as the typhoon moves northwestward. The Central Meteorological Administration (CWA) issued a sea warning on Tuesday as the storm approached. As of Wednesday afternoon, the agency had issued warnings for more than 50 percent of the island's counties.

He said the forecast showed the powerful storm could weaken a bit before making landfall directly on the southeast coast, but it could still bring heavy rainfall, flooding and landslides. We have requested everyone to make proper preparations. He warned that waves could reach 8 meters when the typhoon makes landfall.

Meanwhile, the news agency AFP reports that Super Typhoon Kong-Re may hit Taiwan by Thursday afternoon. Because of this, the country's authorities have issued warnings to the residents of the remote islands to suspend professional and educational activities. Besides, fishermen with boats have already moved to a safe place.