Heavy rain alerts issued for parts of central, eastern Taiwan

Taipei, April 8 (CNA) The Central Weather Administration (CWA) has issued heavy rain alerts for four cities and counties in central and eastern Taiwan, warning of short bursts of intense rainfall as convective cloud systems intensified across Taiwan.

The alerts covered mountainous areas in Miaoli, Nantou and Hualien counties and Taichung City and warned that at least 80 millimeters of rain could fall within 24 hours or 40 mm within an hour in those regions, the CWA said Wednesday morning.

In addition to heavy downpours, there are risks of lightning and strong gusts, while residents in mountainous regions were advised to watch for landslides, falling rocks and rapidly rising river levels, the CWA said.

Separately, a strong wind advisory was issued for Green Island off Taitung County, Taoyuan City, Hsinchu City and County, Pingtung County, and the offshore counties of Penghu and Lienchiang from Wednesday through Thursday evening.

Sustained winds of 41-51 kilometers per hour, with gusts of 63-75 kph, are possible in those areas.

Elsewhere, weather conditions were expected to gradually stabilize Wednesday as seasonal northeasterly winds weakened.

Morning temperatures in northern Taiwan remained relatively cool at around 19-20 degrees Celsius, while other regions saw lows of 21-23 degrees, CWA data showed.

With winds shifting easterly, daytime highs are forecast to reach 24-25 degrees in the north and east and 27-30 degrees elsewhere, according to the CWA.

Rainfall is expected to ease later in the day, with most areas turning partly cloudy, though isolated showers may persist in eastern Taiwan and mountainous areas in the west.

From Thursday through Monday, the weather across Taiwan is forecast to be mostly fair to partly cloudy. Temperatures are forecast to hit lows of 21-24 degrees at night and highs of 28-32 degrees during the day across most of Taiwan, according to the CWA.

Another weather front is expected to approach waters north of Taiwan on Tuesday, bringing a chance of brief showers to northern and northeastern regions.

Meanwhile, meteorologist Wu Der-rong (吳德榮) said temperatures will continue to rise Wednesday as the front weakens, with stable conditions likely through next Tuesday.

Daytime highs could feel "summer-like" across Taiwan, he said.