Heavy rain forecast for southern Taiwan through Monday

Taipei, Aug. 21 (CNA) The Central Weather Administration (CWA) said Friday that southwesterly winds and a low‑pressure system will bring heavy to torrential rain to southern Taiwan through Monday, while other regions can expect afternoon downpours.

CWA forecaster Huang En‑hung (黃恩鴻) said southern Taiwan is expected to see heavy rain, showers and thunderstorms through Monday, with localized areas likely to experience torrential downpours.

He added that stronger convective activity driven by daytime heating could bring heavy or short‑duration torrential rain in the afternoons.

The low‑pressure system is expected to gradually move away from Taiwan on Tuesday, but moisture will remain abundant, according to Huang.

On Tuesday, central and southern Taiwan could see scattered brief showers or thunderstorms, with localized heavy rain possible, while other regions will be mostly cloudy with afternoon thunderstorms and localized heavy rainfall, Huang said.

On Wednesday and Thursday, rainfall is expected to ease, with only occasional brief showers in southern Taiwan, while other regions will be partly cloudy to sunny with afternoon thunderstorms.

Meanwhile, the CWA said Tropical Storm Saudel is steadily strengthening as it moves northwest and is projected to intensify into a typhoon within the next two days.

As of 2 p.m. Friday, Saudel's center was located at about 440 kilometers northeast of Guam and 3,020 kilometers east of Eluanbi the southernmost point in Taiwan, according to the CWA.

Tropical Storm Saudel is expected to approach the Ryukyu Islands on Wednesday, Huang said.

Its subsequent path remains highly uncertain, with the system possibly turning north, shifting west, or moving south toward waters near Taiwan, while also weakening, he said.