Tropical depression expected to bring heavy rain to Taiwan

Taipei, Sept. 22 (CNA) Taiwan is bracing for heavy rain as a tropical depression that formed in the Western Pacific Ocean is expected to drench much of the island, according to the Central Weather Administration (CWA) on Sunday.

At 8 a.m., the tropical depression was located about 184 kilometers northwest of Taipei, moving in a southwesterly direction at a speed of 10 kilometers per hour.

Under the influence of the weather system, there are chances of brief downpour around Taiwan, with the mountainous areas of Pingtung and Kaohsiung likely to experience extremely heavy rain or torrential rain, the CWA said.

The CWA also issued a heavy rain advisory or extremely heavy rain advisory for the plains of Tainan, Pingtung County, Taipei, and New Taipei.

Meanwhile, a heavy rain alert was issued for Keelung, Taoyuan, Hsinchu, Chiayi, and Yilan, as well as the outlying Penghu, Kinmen, and Matsu islands.

The CWA defines torrential rain as accumulated rainfall of more than 350 millimeters in 24 hours or of more than 200 millimeters in three hours.

Extremely heavy rain means accumulated rainfall of more than 200 millimeters in a day or more than 100 millimeters in three hours.

Heavy rain means rainfall exceeding 40 millimeters in one hour or accumulated rainfall exceeding 80 millimeters or more in 24 hours.

The CWA reminded people in the above-mentioned areas to pay attention to lightning and strong winds, to beware of flooding in low-lying areas, and to watch out for landslides, rockfalls, and swollen streams in mountainous areas.

According to data compiled by the CWA, from midnight Saturday to 11 a.m. Sunday, Pingtung's Sandimen Township had registered the highest accumulated rainfall of 344.5 mm, followed by Kaohsing's Yanchao District with 316.5 mm.

Temperature-wise, high temperatures of 28 to 30 degrees Celsius are forecast for various places around Taiwan on Sunday, and the mercury is expected to drop to 24-26 degrees at night.

Due to the effects of the tropical depression, strong winds and high tides are expected in Taiwan's coastal areas, the CWA added.

To reduce the risk of flooding, the Water Resources Agency under the Ministry of Economic Affairs established a flood prevention and emergency response team on Saturday night.

For more details on the current weather in Taiwan, please visit the Central Weather Administration website.