Heavy rain lashes southern Taiwan, landslide alerts issued

Taipei, Aug. 23 (CNA) Heavy rain continued to lash southern Taiwan on Sunday under the combined influence of a broad low-pressure system and strong southwesterly winds, triggering flooding in Kaohsiung and prompting landslide warnings in southern mountain areas.

Southern Taiwan recorded 450-500 millimeters of rainfall in the 24 hours of Saturday and the first 15 hours of Sunday, mainly in Tainan, Kaohsiung and Pingtung, according to Central Weather Administration (CWA) data.

As a result of the heavy rainfall, the Ministry of Agriculture issued red alerts, the higher of two warning levels, for 34 debris-flow streams in Kaohsiung and Pingtung and two large-scale landslide sites in Kaohsiung's Liugui District.

Another 48 debris-flow yellow alerts were issued for Tainan, Kaohsiung and Pingtung, along with a yellow alert for one large-scale landslide site in Pingtung County's Laiyi Township.

The ministry urged local governments to evacuate residents from high-risk areas and provide appropriate shelter where necessary.

It said local governments should advise or, if necessary, order residents in red-alert areas to evacuate and arrange appropriate shelter, while issuing evacuation advisories in yellow-alert areas.

Looking ahead, the CWA said Chiayi and areas farther south would see rain throughout Monday, while other parts of Taiwan could experience intermittent showers or thunderstorms.

Rainfall is expected to intensify in eastern Taiwan starting Sunday evening, with mountainous parts of Hualien County facing the risk of extremely heavy rain.

CWA forecaster Yeh Chih-chun (葉致均) said Taiwan remains within a broad low-pressure area, with separate low-pressure systems northeast and southwest of the island continuing to funnel abundant moisture into southern Taiwan.

A tropical depression that had been north of Taiwan has since made landfall in China's Zhejiang Province and weakened into a low-pressure system.

The agency also warned of wind gusts of 63-75 kilometers per hour (Beaufort force 8) along Taiwan's northeastern and southwestern coasts and in eastern Taiwan and the outlying Matsu Islands, with waves of more than 2 meters around Taiwan and 3 meters off the northern and eastern coasts.

Meanwhile, Typhoon Saudel, the 18th named storm of the Pacific typhoon season, remains well east of Taiwan and is expected to move closer later this week.