Heavy rain advisory issued for 18 areas in Taiwan: CWA

Taipei, Aug. 2 (CNA) Residents across Taiwan should stay alert for heavy rain on Saturday as the Central Weather Administration (CWA) has issued advisories for 18 of its 22 cities and counties.

The latest update from the weather agency at 11:55 a.m. warned of possible torrential rain in Tainan and mountainous areas of Kaohsiung and Pingtung County. Low-lying areas in Kaohsiung and Pingtung, including Xiaoliuqiu island, are expected to experience extremely heavy rain.

Other areas likely to see extremely heavy rain include Yunlin and Chiayi counties and mountainous regions in Nantou and Taitung counties, said the CWA.

Heavy rain is also forecast for Keelung, Taipei, New Taipei, Taoyuan, Yilan County, Hsinchu County, Miaoli County, Taichung, Nantou County, and Taitung County, as well as Penghu County, the CWA added.

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

From midnight Friday to 12:40 p.m. Saturday, Koushe Station in Sandimen Township, Pingtung County, recorded 444 millimeters of rain, the highest nationwide during that period. The station in Tainan's Anding District recorded 378.5 mm, ranking second.

According to the CWA website, of the 10 stations with the highest recorded rainfall so far, four are in Pingtung County and six are in Tainan.

The CWA attributes the heavy rainfall to strengthened southwesterly seasonal winds, which are expected to remain strong through Sunday, causing short but intense downpours across the island.

Regional showers and thunderstorms are expected in areas south of Miaoli County and in the southeast, with mountainous areas south of Chiayi particularly susceptible to extremely heavy rain.

Residents in areas north of Hsinchu should also be vigilant against regional and afternoon showers, the agency said.

Meanwhile, temperatures are forecast to remain above 25 degrees Celsius throughout the day across the country, reaching around 30 degrees in most municipalities. Taipei, New Taipei and Taoyuan could experience temperatures up to 35 degrees, the CWA said.

The ongoing heavy rainfall is expected to persist through Monday, according to independent meteorologist Wu Der-rong (吳德榮).