Heavy rain alert issued for 15 cities and counties across Taiwan

Taipei, July 13 (CNA) The Central Weather Administration (CWA) issued alerts for 15 cities and counties on Saturday afternoon warning of heavy rain, flash floods, or thunderstorms around Taiwan, mostly in mountainous areas.

Greater Taipei and mountainous areas in western, eastern, and northeastern Taiwan are likely to experience brief downpours and localized heavy rain, the CWA said.

Other areas likely to experience heavy rain are Taipei and New Taipei, the Keelung coast, and mountainous areas of Taoyuan, Taichung, Tainan, and Kaohsiung cities and Hsinchu, Miaoli, Nantou, Yunlin, Chiayi, Pingtung, Yilan, and Hualien counties, according to the CWA.

The alert will be in effect until Saturday night, the CWA said.

According to its website, heavy rain indicates that 24-hour accumulated rainfall exceeded 80 millimeters, or 1-hour rainfall exceeded 40 millimeters.

In addition to heavy rain, a strong convective cloud system resulted in hail falling on Yushan (Jade Mountain) at 2:10 p.m., the CWA said.

It lasted for around 15 minutes.

The weather agency also warned people of lightning and strong gusts of wind, and asked people to beware of landslides, falling rocks, and rapidly rising water levels in mountainous areas.

A separate alert warned of flash floods caused by heavy rains along the Beishi, Yongding, Shiding, Dabao, Nanshi, and Daiyuku rivers in New Taipei, the Fanfan River in Yilan, the Xiayun River in Taoyuan, and the Youluo River in Hsinchu, the CWA said.

Beyond its heavy rain alert, the CWA has also issued a thunderstorm alert for Nantou.