TAIPEI, Taiwan, July 12 (UPI) -- Typhoon Soulik's outer reaches hit Taiwan Friday, with storm's eye off the southeast coast of Yilan, officials said.
The edge of the storm arrived in Taiwan at around 5 p.m. Friday, the China Post reported.
Soulik's center is expected to make landfall early Saturday, bringing with it heavy rains and strong winds, the Central Weather Bureau said.
The China Post said Soulik has shown signs of becoming a "two-eyed" typhoon because of the variation in wind speed between the outer section and its inner circle.
Seven major highways in the country will be shut down Saturday afternoon in anticipation of the storm, the news report said.
About 800 people were evacuated from mountainous regions, which are expected to be badly affected by the Soulik.
In Taipei, New Taipei City and Keelung, local officials announced that work and classes would be canceled from 2 p.m. Saturday, the Taipei Times reported.
"Canceling work and class at 2 p.m. will give residents more time to get to their destinations safely. We also don't want to affect the stock market, which closes at 1:30 p.m.," said Taipei Mayor Hau Lung-bin, who returned to Taipei from Russia Friday.
Earlier Friday, Taiwan President Ma Ying-jeou urged local governments to prepare for the typhoon as it approaches the nation, Taiwan's Central News Agency reported.
Several international and domestic flights out of Taiwan were canceled. China Airlines and TransAsia Airways canceled flights out of Taiwan starting Friday night.
