Taipei- Taiwan warned of flash floods and landslides as a typhoon headed for the island on Wednesday, with heavy rain and strong winds already forcing schools and offices to close.

Typhoon Talim, packing maximum sustained winds of 184 kph (114 mph) and gusts of up to 227 kph (141 mph), was about 260 km (162 miles) southeast of Taiwan at 0600 GMT, the Central Weather Bureau said.

It was churning west-northwest at 21 kph (13 mph) and the full force of the storm was expected to hit Taiwan late on Wednesday or early Thursday morning, the bureau was quoted as saying by Reuters.

The Taipei city government ordered all schools and offices in the capital to close at 4 p.m. (0800 GMT), joining other northern, eastern and central cities and counties in battening down for the typhoon, the third to hit Taiwan this year.

It was not yet clear if financial markets would be open on Thursday.

The government told residents to stay away from coastal areas, mountainous regions and rivers due to worries of flash floods and mudslides.

Typhoons frequently hit Taiwan, Japan, the Philippines, Hong Kong and southern China during the storm season that lasts from early summer to late autumn.

Financial markets in Taiwan have had two shut twice this year due to typhoons. Typhoon Haitang killed 12 people in July, with three still listed as missing.

In 2001, one of Taiwan”s deadliest years for storms, Typhoon Toraji, killed 200 people. A few months later, Typhoon Nari caused Taipei”s worst flooding on record and killed 100.