Heavy rain continues Friday as tropical system nears Taiwan

Taipei, June 4 (CNA) A tropical system brought localized heavy rain or torrential downpours to parts of Taiwan on Thursday, with unstable weather and heavy rainfall expected to continue across the island on Friday, according to the Central Weather Administration (CWA).

The CWA issued heavy rain advisories Thursday evening for Taipei, New Taipei, Taoyuan, Nantou County, mountainous areas of Hsinchu County, Kaohsiung, and parts of eastern Taiwan, as well as areas south of Yunlin, Miaoli County, and Taichung, as the system moved through the Bashi Channel toward Taiwan.

CWA forecaster Lai Hsin-kuo (賴欣國) told CNA that the system is forecast to pass over Taiwan as either a low-pressure system or a tropical depression.

After it moves into waters east of Taiwan, where conditions are favorable for further development, the system could strengthen into a tropical storm, Lai said.

Current forecasts from international weather models indicate that if the storm forms, it will likely track toward Japan and is not expected to directly hit Taiwan, he added.

However, the system would keep weather conditions unstable across Taiwan on Friday, bringing widespread showers and thunderstorms. Afternoon convection would be particularly strong, raising the risk of short-duration torrential downpours in the Greater Taipei area and mountainous regions of central and northern Taiwan, Lai said.

The system is forecast to gradually move away on Saturday, with rainfall easing across most areas, although mountainous regions in western Taiwan could still experience heavy showers.

On Sunday, southwesterly winds are likely to bring scattered showers and thunderstorms to central and southern areas, while northern and eastern regions could see afternoon storms.