Heavy rainfall brought by a cold front pummeled northern regions early yesterday morning, disrupting transport systems and delaying thousands of commuters on their way to work.
The Central Weather Bureau said that the most rain fell in New Taipei City and Taoyuan.
Bureau statistics showed that between 4am and 8am, accumulated rainfall totaled 154.5mm in Taoyuan’s Taoyuan District (桃園), while New Taipei City’s Shueiwei (水尾) and Gueishan (龜山) districts saw 156.5mm and 131mm respectively.
Photo: CNA
New Taipei City’s Wugu District (五股) recorded accumulated rainfall of more than 121mm, while Sinjhuang (新莊), Sansia (三峽) and Yingge (鶯歌) districts saw 110mm, 92mm and 90.5mm of rain respectively.
Flooding caused congestion on major roads throughout the day, with some roads in Taoyuan being closed.
The Taiwan Railways Administration suspended services at 6:45am, as railway tracks between Taoyuan and Yingge were flooded. Services resumed at 8:55am.
The railway operator estimated that suspension of railway services affected about 12,650 passengers.
Bureau Weather Forecast Center Director Cheng Ming-dean (鄭明典) said on Facebook that the powerful thunderstorm yesterday morning occurred due to the interaction between a cold front and warm air in the atmosphere over Taiwan, adding that temperatures are expected to drop as the cold front passes through the nation.
Bureau weather forecaster Chang Hsin-hua (張心華) said the cold front moved quickly, causing heavy rainfall to pass swiftly.
Asked if cold fronts are associated with the plum rain season, Chang said people normally associate the season with continuous rainfall caused by stationary fronts hovering over the nation. However, each frontal system arriving during the season is different, so it is difficult to define what a typical front for the season is.
Chang said the rainfall caused by the cold front is expected to continue today, adding that the nation would still be under the influence of a northeast wind tomorrow and on Thursday as the cold front moves away from the nation. Chances of rain remain high nationwide, particularly in northern and northeastern regions.
Afternoon thunderstorms are forecast across the nation, she said.
Daytime temperatures in the north are forecast to reach 25°C today, Chang said, adding that temperatures could rise to 28°C or 29°C in the north and more than 30°C in the south tomorrow and on Thursday as the rain eases and northeasterly winds weakens.
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