Heavy rain advisory issued for central, southern Taiwan: CWA

Taipei, Aug. 1 (CNA) People in central and southern Taiwan should stay alert for heavy rain on Friday, with the Central Weather Administration (CWA) issuing advisories for 10 cities and counties in the regions.

According to the CWA's latest update at 8:55 a.m., torrential rain is likely in the mountainous areas of Kaohsiung and Pingtung, while extremely heavy rain may affect low-lying areas of Kaohsiung, Pingtung and Tainan, as well as mountainous regions of Chiayi and Taitung.

Heavy rain is also forecast for Taichung, Changhua, Yunlin, Nantou, Chiayi County, Chiayi City and low-lying areas of Taitung.

The CWA defines torrential rain as 350 millimeters or more of accumulated rainfall in 24 hours, or over 200 mm in three hours. Extremely heavy rain refers to more than 200 mm in a day or over 100 mm in three hours, while heavy rain is defined as over 80 mm in a day or 40 mm in an hour.

As of 9:40 a.m., the Xinmajia station in Majia Township, Pingtung County, had recorded the highest rainfall in the country, with 290 mm of precipitation. All of the top five rainfall stations were located in Pingtung.

Due to recent heavy rainfall, the CWA has warned of possible landslides, falling rocks and flash floods in mountainous areas, along with flooding in low-lying regions.

The agency attributed the rainfall to southwesterly winds, which can bring short but intense downpours to central and southern Taiwan. These winds also contribute to swells along the coasts of Keelung, southern and eastern Taiwan -- including Orchid Island and Green Island.

In addition, regional thunderstorms are likely in the Greater Taipei area, southeastern Taiwan and offshore areas including Penghu, Kinmen counties and the Matsu Islands, the CWA said.

Despite the rain, temperatures are expected to stay above 25 degrees Celsius throughout the day, with highs reaching 35 degrees in Taipei and New Taipei, according to the CWA website.

Meanwhile, independent meteorologist Wu Der-rong (吳德榮) said the ongoing heavy rainfall, driven by the southwesterly seasonal winds, is expected to continue through Monday.