Heavy rain triggers flooding across Taiwan

Taipei, June 25 (CNA) Torrential rain caused widespread flooding and landslides across Taiwan on Thursday, stranding residents, disrupting traffic and prompting work and school suspensions in several cities and counties.

In Tainan's mountainous Nanhua District, rapidly rising waters in the Tsailiao River inundated Zhongkeng Village, where 1-meter-high floodwaters stranded 10 residents from two households.

As of Thursday evening, six residents had evacuated while four were sheltering in place, according to local firefighters.

According to the Tainan City government, Nanhua recorded 88 millimeters of rainfall in one hour and 174 mm over three hours, causing river levels to surge and prompting the precautionary closure of several bridges along Provincial Highway No. 20.

In Pingtung County, authorities suspended work and classes from 2 p.m. after torrential rain inundated numerous roads and low-lying areas. Twenty-eight weather stations in the county recorded more than 400 mm of rainfall within 12 hours.

Flooding forced temporary road closures in several townships, while signs of a landslide in Chunri Township disrupted traffic and led to the suspension of work and classes in one village.

In Kaohsiung, rainfall exceeded 300 mm in some mountainous areas, causing flooding in parts of Qishan, Meinong and Neimen districts. The heavy downpours also prompted work and school suspensions in the mountainous Maolin District.

Northern Taiwan was also hit by intense rainfall. Taipei City authorities received 150 disaster reports by 2 p.m., including 107 flooding incidents and 22 landslide-related cases, with Neihu District accounting for the majority.

A mudslide along Chenggong Road in Neihu struck a parked car, though no injuries were reported.

In New Taipei's Tamsui District, flooding temporarily submerged roads near the Danjiang Bridge to tire height, while a ruptured underground pipeline washed away part of a roadway at a nearby intersection.

The Central Weather Administration (CWA) said the heavy rain was being fueled by Typhoon Mekkhala moving northward east of Taiwan, strengthening southwesterly winds and an approaching weather front from southern China.

As of 7 p.m., accumulated rainfall had reached 621 mm in Pingtung County, 449.5 mm in Kaohsiung, 284 mm in Tainan, 258.5 mm in Taipei and 256.5 mm in New Taipei, according to CWA data.

The agency warned that showers and thunderstorms would persist through Friday morning, with southern Taiwan facing the risk of further torrential rain and the greater Taipei area likely to see heavy to extremely heavy rainfall.

As the front moves closer Thursday night into Friday, central and northern Taiwan could also experience localized torrential downpours and short-duration extreme rainfall.

Unstable weather is expected to persist through Saturday as the front continues to affect Taiwan.

Rainfall is expected to gradually ease from Saturday as the front begins moving northward, though intermittent showers and thunderstorms will continue across western Taiwan.

More stable weather is expected from Monday as the Pacific high-pressure system strengthens, the CWA said.