The Central Weather Bureau yesterday issued a heavy rainfall warning for central and southern Taiwan as Typhoon Ewiniar, the third typhoon so far this year, nears Taiwan.
The heavy rain that began on Friday night, brought by air currents from the southwest accompanying the typhoon, flooded large areas of agricultural land in Kaohsiung and damaged crops.
The temperature in Ilan County reached 38.8?C yesterday afternoon owing to a foehn wind, a warm dry wind on the lee side of a mountain range, whose temperature increases as the wind descends down the slope. It is created when air flows downhill from a high elevation, raising the temperature by adiabatic compression. It is classified as a katabatic wind caused by an approaching typhoon.
PHOTO: HUANG HSU-LEI, TAIPEI TIMES
The bureau has been closely monitoring the typhoon's changes of course over the past few days and has predicted that it is unlikely to make landfall in Taiwan. However, on Friday night it issued a sea warning.
As of 5:30pm yesterday, the center of the typhoon was located approximately 450km from the coastline of Ilan County. It was moving at a speed of 19kph to 23 kph in a northwesterly direction.
The bureau had not lifted the sea warning as of press time.
According to the bureau, heavy rain is expected today in Pingtung, Kaohsiung, Tainan and Chiayi counties.
The bureau further warned the public to avoid any activity off the east coast today as waves will be bigger and more powerful than normal. Low-lying areas of southwest Taiwan have also been alerted to the possibility of flooding.
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