CWA issues heavy rain advisory for 9 municipalities in Taiwan

Taipei, Sept. 8 (CNA) The Central Weather Administration (CWA) issued heavy rain advisories Monday afternoon for nine municipalities in Taiwan as a convective cloud system strengthened.

The advisory was issued at 1:15 p.m. for parts of Taichung and Kaohsiung cities, as well as the counties of Hsinchu, Miaoli, Nantou, Chiayi, Yilan, Hualien and Taitung.

The CWB defines heavy rain as accumulated rainfall of 80 millimeters or more within a 24-hour period or 40 mm or more in an hour.

Due to the active convection, brief but intense downpours are expected in the afternoon, and the public is advised to watch out for lightning, strong gusts of wind, landslides, falling rocks, and flash floods in mountain areas, the CWA said.

Meanwhile, the administration also issued an "orange" heat alert, indicating a high of 38 degrees for one day or 36 degrees for three straight days, for Taipei, New Taipei and Kaohsiung cities, and Changhua and Yunlin counties.

Based on CWA data, as of 1 p.m. Monday, Neipu Township in Pingtung recorded a temperature high of 37.6 degrees Celsius, the highest in the country so far, followed by 36.7 degrees in Kaohsiung's Neimen District and 36.3 degrees in Tainan's Longci District.