The Central Weather Bureau yesterday issued a warning for northern and northeastern parts of the country as the interaction between the northeast monsoon and the circumfluence of Super Typhoon Megi brought torrential rainfall, causing several rivers to overflow and trapping some visitors.
Departing from normal practice, in which the bureau only issues rainfall estimates when the nation is directly hit by a typhoon, the bureau provided projected accumulations for Yilan, Hualien, Taitung, Keelung and Taipei -Counties from today to Thursday.
Accumulated rainfall in mountainous areas in Yilan and Hualien could be as high as 1,200mm during the period, the bureau said, adding that accumulations in southern parts of the country would depend on Megi’s path after it enters the South China Sea.
Photo: CNA
As of 8:20pm yesterday, bureau statistics showed its observation station in Jilu (吉魯), Yilan County, had the highest accumulated rainfall at 476mm. It was followed by the stations in Nioudou (牛鬥), Yilan County, and Huoshaoliao (火燒寮), Taipei County, with accumulated rainfall topping 256mm and 144mm respectively.
Meanwhile, two travelers who had gone missing at Shakadang River (砂卡礑溪) in Taroko National Park in Hualien on Sunday as the storm approached were found last night.
The male traveler, identified as Lee Wen-tang (李文堂), was rescued after he went down the mountain to seek help. For safety reasons, a female companion Lee was traveling with stayed behind and was expected to come down today.
Close to 1,000 travelers were forced to stay on Green Island (綠島) and Lanyu (蘭嶼) as the stormy weather brought by Megi caused big waves and strong winds in the coastal areas of Taitung County.
Strong winds were also reported in the Hsinchu area, causing minor damage to traffic signs.
Taiwan was visited by an unusually low number of typhoons this typhoon season, with only one, Typhoon Fanapi, making landfall on Sept. 19. Fanapi, which dumped as much as 1,200mm of rain — the same amount forecast for Yilan and Hualien over the next 48 hours — in the south, caused the worst flooding in half a century in Kaohsiung City.
Additional reporting by CNA and staff writer
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