Heavy rain, strong wind alerts issued across parts of Taiwan

Taipei, May 7 (CNA) The Central Weather Administration (CWA) on Wednesday morning issued heavy rain advisories for 10 cities and counties in northern, central, eastern and northeastern Taiwan, along with strong wind alerts for parts of the island.

A weather front is expected to bring brief periods of heavy rainfall to northern Taiwan, Yilan, and mountainous areas of Taichung, Nantou and Hualien, according to the CWA forecast.

The weather agency also warned of thunderstorms, lightning and strong gusts in these areas, with potential risks of landslides, rockfalls and river surges in mountainous regions.

A heavy rain advisory was issued Wednesday morning for Taipei, New Taipei, Taoyuan, Hsinchu City and County, Miaoli County, Yilan County, and the mountainous areas of Taichung, Nantou and Hualien.

This means over 80 millimeters of rain within 24 hours or more than 40 millimeters in a single hour is expected.

As of 12:50 p.m., Baoshan Township in Hsinchu had recorded the highest accumulated rainfall at 114 mm, followed by Nanzhuang Township in Miaoli with 108 mm, according to the CWA website.

The CWA also issued a strong wind warning for Wednesday, with sustained winds of at least 39 kilometers per hour and gusts reaching 62 kph in parts of Keelung, New Taipei, Taoyuan, Hsinchu, Pingtung, as well as Green Island and Orchid Island.

The alert will remain in effect until Thursday afternoon, the agency said.