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
LONG FLIGHT: The jets would be flown by US pilots, with Taiwanese copilots in the two-seat F-16D variant to help familiarize them with the aircraft, the source said The US is expected to fly 10 Lockheed Martin F-16C/D Block 70/72 jets to Taiwan over the coming months to fulfill a long-awaited order of 66 aircraft, a defense official said yesterday. Word that the first batch of the jets would be delivered soon was welcome news to Taiwan, which has become concerned about delays in the delivery of US arms amid rising military tensions with China. Speaking on condition of anonymity, the official said the initial tranche of the nation’s F-16s are rolling off assembly lines in the US and would be flown under their own power to Taiwan by way
OBJECTS AT SEA: Satellites with synthetic-aperture radar could aid in the detection of small Chinese boats attempting to illegally enter Taiwan, the space agency head said Taiwan aims to send the nation’s first low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite into space in 2027, while the first Formosat-8 and Formosat-9 spacecraft are to be launched in October and 2028 respectively, the National Science and Technology Council said yesterday. The council laid out its space development plan in a report reviewed by members of the legislature’s Education and Culture Committee. Six LEO satellites would be produced in the initial phase, with the first one, the B5G-1A, scheduled to be launched in 2027, the council said in the report. Regarding the second satellite, the B5G-1B, the government plans to work with private contractors
MISSION: The Indo-Pacific region is ‘the priority theater,’ where the task of deterrence extends across the entire region, including Taiwan, the US Pacific Fleet commander said The US Navy’s “mission of deterrence” in the Indo-Pacific theater applies to Taiwan, Pacific Fleet Commander Admiral Stephen Koehler told the South China Sea Conference on Tuesday. The conference, organized by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), is an international platform for senior officials and experts from countries with security interests in the region. “The Pacific Fleet’s mission is to deter aggression across the Western Pacific, together with our allies and partners, and to prevail in combat if necessary, Koehler said in the event’s keynote speech. “That mission of deterrence applies regionwide — including the South China Sea and Taiwan,” he
‘NARWHAL’: The indigenous submarine completed its harbor acceptance test recently and is now under heavy guard as it undergoes tests in open waters, a source said The Hai Kun (海鯤), the nation’s first indigenous defense submarine, yesterday began sea trials, sailing out of the Port of Kaohsiung, a military source said. Also known as the “Narwhal,” the vessel departed from CSBC Corp, Taiwan’s (台灣國際造船) shipyard at about 8am, where it had been docked. More than 10 technicians and military personnel were on deck, with several others standing atop the sail. After recently completing its harbor acceptance test, the vessel has started a series of sea-based trials, including tests of its propulsion and navigational systems, while partially surfaced, the source said. The Hai Kun underwent tests in the port from
RSS