KEELUNG, Taiwan (AFP)— High winds and torrential rain lashed Taiwan as Super Typhoon Kong-rey approached on Thursday, forcing thousands of people to flee one of the strongest storms to threaten the island in years.

Moving quickly, Kong-rey was expected to reach the sparsely populated, mountainous east coast, where many people had been evacuated, within hours.

Kong-rey was packing winds of about 260 kilometers per hour (161 miles per hour), according to the U.S. Joint Typhoon Warning Center.

The storm is currently stronger than Typhoon Gaemi, which hit Taiwan in July and was the strongest typhoon to hit Taiwan in eight years.

“As the typhoon approaches, we should be careful of strong winds near the center,” state forecaster Chu Mei-lin of the Central Weather Administration said at a briefing.

“The impact on the whole of Taiwan will be quite severe.”

In Taiwan, people suspended work and schools on Thursday due to the storm.

The streets of Taipei remained largely deserted as heavy rain and wind battered the capital.

At least 27 people were injured, trees fell and four landslides were recorded during the severe weather, the National Fire Service said Thursday, without providing details.

Kong-rey was moving at 28 kilometers per hour (16 miles per hour) and whipping up waves up to 10 meters high as it moved towards Hualien and Taitung counties.

The storm is expected to slow down after making landfall and move across the island before exiting the Taiwan Strait in the evening, Chu said.

Kong-rey, with a radius of 320 kilometers, is on track to become the largest severe typhoon to make landfall in nearly 30 years, the Central Weather Administration said earlier.

More than a meter of rain could fall in the hardest-hit areas along the east coast by Friday as a seasonal monsoon flooded the island of 23 million people earlier in the week, prompting landslide warnings.

Authorities began evacuations in eight counties and cities on Wednesday, including Yilan, Hualien and Taitung, according to the National Fire Service.

More than 6,200 people were evacuated from their homes by evening.

Scientists have warned that climate change is increasing the intensity of storms, leading to heavier rainfall, flash floods and stronger winds.

Kong-rey will be the third typhoon to hit Taiwan since July.

Gaemi killed at least 10 people, injured hundreds and caused widespread flooding in the southern port of Kaohsiung.

This was followed by Krathon in early October, which killed at least four people and injured hundreds, causing mudslides, floods and record high winds.