Songshan Airport suspends ground operations due to thunderstorms

Taipei, June 7 (CNA) Heavy thunderstorms swept over northern Taiwan on Sunday afternoon, forcing Taipei Songshan Airport to suspend ground operations, causing flight delays and disrupting services at airports with scheduled flights to and from the hub, aviation authorities said.

The suspension took effect at 2:38 p.m. due to thunderstorms and lightning activity, according to the Civil Aviation Administration (CAA) under the Ministry of Transportation and Communications.

The CAA said some departures and arrivals would be delayed and urged passengers and those meeting arriving travelers to monitor the latest flight information and contact their airlines for updates.

The agency added that the suspension would also affect other airports with scheduled flights to and from Songshan, resulting in broader delays across related routes.

Airport authorities were instructed to keep passengers informed through terminal notice boards, electronic displays and public announcements, while updated flight information was also made available on airport websites, the CAA said.

Operations remained suspended as of press time, according to the CAA.

The disruptions came as the Central Weather Administration (CWA) issued extremely heavy and heavy rain advisories for cities and counties across western Taiwan, Yilan County and mountainous areas of Hualien County.

The CWA defines heavy rain as accumulated rainfall of 80 millimeters or more within 24 hours or 40 mm or more within one hour, while extremely heavy rain refers to accumulations of 200 mm or more within 24 hours.

According to the weather agency, vigorous convective cloud systems brought short-duration intense downpours, with New Taipei and mountainous areas of Yilan County facing the most severe conditions, resulting in both areas being placed under extremely heavy rain advisories.

Heavy rain alerts were issued for Taipei, Taoyuan, Hsinchu City and County, Miaoli County, mountainous districts of Taichung, Nantou, Yunlin and Chiayi counties, Tainan, Kaohsiung, Pingtung County, the Hengchun Peninsula, and mountainous areas of Hualien County.

The CWA urged residents in mountainous areas to guard against landslides, falling rocks and rapidly rising stream levels, and warned of lightning strikes and strong winds. Those in low-lying areas were cautioned about possible flooding.