Although the military conducted cloud seeding near several major reservoirs early yesterday to maximize precipitation, the areas received only a little rainfall, the Water Resources Agency (WRA) said.
In a bid to take advantage of a cloud system approaching from southern China, the WRA said that it collaborated with the military to try and increase precipitation in the reservoirs catchment areas.
However, as of 2pm, areas north of Hsinchu had received less than 4mm of rainfall, while those in central Taiwan received about 10mm to 15mm.
Reservoirs in the south received no precipitation, WRA data showed.
The data showed that only 1mm fell in Shihmen Reservoir (石門水庫) in Taoyuan and 4mm in the Baoshan (寶山水庫) and Second Baoshan (寶二水庫) reservoirs in Hsinchu County, while Yongheshan (永和山), Liyutan (鯉魚潭) and Mingte (明德) reservoirs in Miaoli County received 10mm, 9mm and 15mm respectively.
Zengwen Reservoir (曾文水庫) in Chiayi County and Nanhua (南化) and Wushantou (烏山頭) reservoirs in Tainan all received no rainfall.
A WRA official attributed the limited precipitation in these areas to the later-than-expected arrival of the wet-weather front, saying that the cloud system is now forecast to envelop Taiwan today and bring much-needed rainfall to the nation.
More cloud seeding and other rainmaking operations would be conducted today and the overall water supply situation would be clearer on Friday, the official said.
The WRA is hoping to hold off on second-phase water rationing in any part of the nation until at least the end of this month, and on third-phase rationing until the end of next month, the official said.
According to WRA data, as of yesterday, Feitsui Reservoir (翡翠水庫) in New Taipei City was at 84.1 percent capacity, while Shihmen and the Second Baoshan reservoirs were at 46.03 percent and 56.7 percent of capacity respectively.
Taiwan is to receive the first batch of Lockheed Martin F-16 Block 70 jets from the US late this month, a defense official said yesterday, after a year-long delay due to a logjam in US arms deliveries. Completing the NT$247.2 billion (US$7.69 billion) arms deal for 66 jets would make Taiwan the third nation in the world to receive factory-fresh advanced fighter jets of the same make and model, following Bahrain and Slovakia, the official said on condition of anonymity. F-16 Block 70/72 are newly manufactured F-16 jets built by Lockheed Martin to the standards of the F-16V upgrade package. Republic of China
Taiwan-Japan Travel Passes are available for use on public transit networks in the two countries, Taoyuan Metro Corp said yesterday, adding that discounts of up to 7 percent are available. Taoyuan Metro, the Taipei MRT and Japan’s Keisei Electric Railway teamed up to develop the pass. Taoyuan Metro operates the Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport MRT Line, while Keisei Electric Railway offers express services between Tokyo’s Narita Airport, and the Keisei Ueno and Nippori stations in the Japanese capital, as well as between Narita and Haneda airports. The basic package comprises one one-way ticket on the Taoyuan MRT Line and one Skyliner ticket on
Starlux Airlines, Taiwan’s newest international carrier, has announced it would apply to join the Oneworld global airline alliance before the end of next year. In an investor conference on Monday, Starlux Airlines chief executive officer Glenn Chai (翟健華) said joining the alliance would help it access Taiwan. Chai said that if accepted, Starlux would work with other airlines in the alliance on flight schedules, passenger transits and frequent flyer programs. The Oneworld alliance has 13 members, including American Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific and Qantas, and serves more than 900 destinations in 170 territories. Joining Oneworld would also help boost
A new tropical storm formed late yesterday near Guam and is to approach closest to Taiwan on Thursday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. Tropical Storm Pulasan became the 14th named storm of the year at 9:25pm yesterday, the agency said. As of 8am today, it was near Guam traveling northwest at 21kph, it said. The storm’s structure is relatively loose and conditions for strengthening are limited, WeatherRisk analyst Wu Sheng-yu (吳聖宇) said on Facebook. Its path is likely to be similar to Typhoon Bebinca, which passed north of Taiwan over Japan’s Ryukyu Islands and made landfall in Shanghai this morning, he said. However, it