Days of heavy rain forecast for southern half of Taiwan

Taipei, Aug. 31 (CNA) Southern and eastern Taiwan will see heavy rainfall Monday through Wednesday, with some areas at risk of flooding and landslides, according to the Central Weather Administration (CWA).

On Monday, Taitung County and the Hengchun Peninsula will receive the heaviest rainfall, the CWA said, citing multiple factors such as a low-pressure system, strengthening southwesterly winds and a tropical depression.

Kaohsiung, Pingtung, Hualien, and the outlying Lanyu and Green islands will also see heavy rain Monday, the agency said, warning of lightning, strong wind gusts, flooding in low-lying areas, landslides, falling rocks and rapidly rising rivers.

The CWA issued an advisory for heavy to extremely heavy rain in southern and eastern Taiwan, warning of accumulated rainfall of more than 200 mm in 24 hours or 100 mm within three hours.

A heavy rain alert means accumulated rainfall of more than 80mm in 24 hours or 40mm in one hour, according to the CWA.

The agency also issued a strong wind advisory on Monday for Orchid Island, Green Island, New Taipei, Tainan, Kaohsiung, Pingtung, Yilan, and the outlying Penghu and Lienchiang counties, warning of sustained winds of 41-51 kilometers per hour, with gusts of 63-75 kph.

CWA forecaster Huang En-hung (黃恩鴻) told CNA that the unstable weather is expected to persist through Wednesday, as strengthening southwesterly winds and a tropical depression, formerly Typhoon Saudel, continue to affect the region.

Tropical Depression TD20, as the system is now called, is moving toward southern China and could regain tropical storm strength within 24 hours, the CWA said Monday.

As of 8 a.m. Monday, TD20 was centered near Hainan Island and was forecast to turn northeast toward Guangdong, CWA data showed.

Although it may briefly regain tropical storm strength, it is likely to weaken again over southern China due to environmental conditions, the CWA indicated.

If the system weakens more slowly than expected, however, a sea warning may be issued Tuesday, the CWA said, adding that the likelihood remains relatively low because the system is forecast to stay well west of Taiwan.

Meanwhile, a different low-pressure system that formed near Taiwan has since merged into a broad low-pressure area and is expected to be absorbed by TD20 as it approaches waters south of the Taiwan Strait, Huang said.

Another tropical depression, TD27, formed over waters east of Taiwan on Monday morning and is forecast to move south of the Ryukyu Islands without having any direct impact on Taiwan, according to the CWA.