Schools, offices in Pingtung, Kaohsiung close Friday amid torrential rain

Taipei, June 25 (CNA) Torrential rain driven by the peripheral circulation of a tropical storm and strong southwest winds has forced the closure of schools and offices on Friday in Pingtung County and a third of Kaohsiung's districts, according to local authorities.

As the Central Weather Administration (CWA) continued to issue heavy rain warnings for Pingtung -- with torrential rain expected within the next 24 hours -- schools and workplaces across the county will be suspended on Friday, the county government said Thursday.

The Kaohsiung City Government announced that schools and offices will be closed on Friday in 10 of its 38 districts, including mountainous Taoyuan, Namasia, Jiasian, Liouguei, and Maolin, where 24-hour accumulated rainfall is expected to hit the 200 mm threshold for closure.

Due to expected rainfall and risks of flash flooding from sudden heavy downpours, work and classes will also be suspended in five districts adjacent to mountainous areas, including Meinong, Cishan, Neimen, Shanlin, and Tianliao, the city government said.

All other cities and counties across Taiwan will maintain normal work and class schedules on Friday, according to local governments.

The outer bands of tropical storm Mekkhala and strong southwest winds brought heavy rain across most of Taiwan on Thursday, forcing localized school and office closures.

The CWA warned that heavy showers and thunderstorms are expected in southern Taiwan on Friday, with a high probability of torrential rain or localized extreme heavy rainfall.

Meanwhile, central and northern regions will see brief showers or thunderstorms, with a chance of heavy rain or localized torrential downpours, on Friday, according to the CWA.