Heavy rain alert in southern Taiwan; heat advisory issued in north

Taipei, Aug. 4 (CNA) Taiwan's Central Weather Administration (CWA) on Monday issued a heavy rain advisory for parts of southern Taiwan due to the effect of a warm southwesterly wind system, and a heat alert for the Greater Taipei area and Keelung.

Mountainous areas of Kaohsiung and Pingtung County are forecast to receive either extremely heavy rain -- defined by the CWA as at least 200 millimeters in 24 hours or 100 mm in three hours -- or heavy rain, meaning at least 80 mm in 24 hours or 40 mm in one hour.

Heavy rain alerts were also issued for mountainous areas of Tainan, as well as the outlying islands of Penghu and Kinmen.

Areas south of Miaoli may also experience brief showers or thunderstorms on Monday due to prevailing southeasterly winds, with the possibility of localized heavy or brief torrential rain, the CWA said.

The CWA warned that due to continuous rainfall in recent days, mountain areas remain at risk of landslides, falling rocks, mudslides, and sudden surges in stream water. Low-lying areas should also watch for possible flooding.

Elsewhere, mostly cloudy skies are expected, with areas north of Hsinchu and eastern Taiwan likely to see brief afternoon thunderstorms, according to the CWA.

The Greater Taipei area, along with mountainous regions in northern Taiwan and Yilan, also face a high chance of localized heavy afternoon rain.

An "orange" heat alert - indicating daily highs of 36 degrees Celsius for three consecutive days -- was issued for parts of Taipei and Keelung.

Meanwhile, a "yellow" heat warning took effect Monday morning in New Taipei, signaling daily highs that could reach or exceed 36 degrees, the CWA said.

With rainfall easing in central and southern Taiwan, including Taitung, the weather is expected to turn muggy and hot, with daytime highs ranging from 31 to 34 degrees, according to the CWA.

In the outlying islands, Penghu will see overcast skies with brief showers or thunderstorms and temperatures between 26 and 29 degrees. Similar conditions are forecast for Kinmen and Matsu, with highs of 27-31 degrees.

Also on Monday, independent meteorologist Wu Der-rong (吳德榮) said that as southwesterly winds weaken, rainfall is expected to ease, and sunny, hot weather will return across Taiwan from Wednesday. Temperatures could reach up to 38 degrees before the weekend, he said.