Weakened Kujira spares the Philippines, heads for Taiwan

MANILA (AFP) Apr 22, 2003
Typhoon Kujira weakened as it headed towards Taiwan Tuesday, and was likely to spare most of the Philippines, the weather office said.

Forecasters reclassified the typhoon as a tropical storm with peak center winds of 100 kilometers (62 miles) an hour.

It has been moving northwest at nine kilometers (six miles) per hour since 4:00 am (2000 GMT Monday), when the eye was plotted 210 kilometres (130 miles) southeast of Basco in the Batan Islands near the Philippine sea border with Taiwan.

The second of a four-stage typhoon alert remained in place over the Batan Islands, where the storm was expected and ships were warned to stay clear of rough coastal waters.

SPACE.WIRE