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'Weird' typhoon makes unusual landfall on southwestern

coast

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Typhoon to track up Taiwan's western plain

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Two people reported dead

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Flights grounded, financial markets shut for second day

(Recasts, adds typhoon making landfall in paragraphs 2-4 and

Kaohsiung mayor comment in paragraphs 5-7, also updates

paragraphs 8-9, 11 and 14-15)

By Yimou Lee, Fabian Hamacher and Ann Wang

KAOHSIUNG, Taiwan, Oct 3 (Reuters) - A weakened and

"weird" Typhoon Krathon slammed into southwestern Taiwan on

Thursday, hitting the island with a storm that has killed two

people so far and forced it to shut down a second day with

hundreds of flights grounded and financial markets closed.

Krathon made landfall as a much weaker category 1 typhoon

around midday at the major port city of Kaohsiung. The

government, though, still warned people to stay at home given

torrential rain, strong wind and storm surges coinciding with

high tide.

Shortly after dawn, residents in Kaohsiung, a city of some

2.7 million people, began receiving texted warnings telling them

to seek shelter from gusts of more than 160 kph (100 mph).

Kaohsiung's port recorded gusts of more than 220 kph.

Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chi-mai told reporters there were still

too many people on the streets.

"Looking at surveillance cameras we can see there are a lot

of people out riding scooters under such strong wind and rain,

which is really very dangerous," he said.

"If you don't have to, please avoid going out."

Taipei university student Liao Shian-rong, 24, came to

Kaohsiung with some classmates specifically to chase the storm,

bringing equipment like barometers and saying it was a once in a

lifetime opportunity.

"We are being hit by the eyewall now and will enter the eye

soon," he said, filming the storm from a hotel lobby.

Taiwan's fire department reported two deaths as the

approaching typhoon brought torrential rains across the island.

Both fatalities were on the mountainous and sparsely populated

east coast, one man falling while trimming a tree and another

man whose vehicle was hit by a falling rock.

Parts of eastern Taiwan recorded rainfall of more than 1.6

metres (5.2 ft), bringing rocks and mud cascading down onto

roads.

The typhoon is forecast to slowly work its way up Taiwan's

flat western plain and weaken further into a tropical depression

by late Friday before reaching the capital Taipei.

All domestic flights were cancelled for a second day, as

well as 236 international ones. The north-south high speed rail

line suspended services from central to southern Taiwan until

early evening.

Taiwan's financial markets also closed for a second day. In

Taipei there were squally rain showers, and many shops and malls

remained open.

Typhoons often hit Taiwan's east coast facing the Pacific,

but Krathon is unusual in that it directly hit the west coast.

Local media labelled it a "weird" storm for that reason, and

because of how it hovered off the coast before reaching land.

The Kaohsiung government has been particularly cautious in

its preparations given that the last time it was struck by such

a storm in 1977, Typhoon Thelma killed 37 people and devastated

the city.