Heavy rain advisories issued for central, southern Taiwan

Taipei, May 28 (CNA) Heavy rain advisories have been issued for nine cities and counties by the Central Weather Administration (CWA) due to a front passing over Taiwan, which caused downpours Tuesday morning.

Heavy or torrential rain is expected in parts of Taichung, Yunlin County, and Nantou County in central Taiwan, Chiayi County, Tainan, Kaohsiung, and Pingtung County in the south and in Taitung and Hualien counties in the east throughout the day, the CWA said.

The weather agency warned of potential lightning strikes and strong wind gusts in those areas, as well as landslides and falling rocks in mountainous areas and possible flooding in low-lying areas.

One area hit hard by the weather front earlier Tuesday was Miaoli County, which experienced heavy rainfall that led to flooding in several underpasses in Zhunan and Toufen townships and Miaoli City, according to the Miaoli County Fire Bureau.

One vehicle was trapped in a Zhunan underpass, but the people in the vehicle got out unharmed, the bureau said.

There were also five locations where roads were flooded, as well as a fallen tree and the flooding of a culvert that disrupted traffic, it said.

The passing front also caused heavy rainfall in Kaohsiung, where the road in Ziguan District was flooded, with the water reaching a depth of up to 60 centimeters.

The area was closed to traffic, and as of 10:30 a.m., the floodwaters had yet to subside, officials said.

Update

In addition, a total of 336 households in Kaohsiung lost power in the morning after power switches of state-run utility Taiwan Power Co. (Taipower) were struck by lightning at 8:37 a.m.

Power was fully restored to the affected households by 9:42 a.m.

According to the CWA, the rain will ease in the afternoon, with northern Taiwan transitioning to cloudy weather in the evening.

Due to strengthening northeasterly winds, northern Taiwan will experience cooler weather Tuesday, with temperatures expected to be about 23 to 25 degrees Celsius at around noon and drop to 21 to 22 degrees in the evening, it said.

Other regions will be less affected, with daytime highs hitting around 30 degrees and nighttime lows ranging from 23 to 25 degrees, it said.

The CWA also noted that Typhoon Ewiniar, the first typhoon of the Western Pacific typhoon season this year, was located 640 kilometers southeast of Cape Eluanbi, Taiwan's southernmost point, at 2 a.m.

It is moving northeast and is expected to pass east of the Ryukyu Islands and head toward waters southeast of Japan, the agency said.

While it should not have a direct impact on Taiwan's weather, there is a chance of swells along the northern coast of Keelung, the eastern coast, the Hengchun Peninsula, Orchid Island, and Green Island on Tuesday and Wednesday, the CWA said.