The Central Weather Administration (CWA) said it is recalibrating its drought monitoring and early warning system to provide better early warnings to water management and agricultural agencies, after looking at data from three significant droughts Taiwan has experienced since 2000.
Taiwan’s regions are affected by drought differently, data from the National Science and Technology Center for Disaster Reduction’s Climate Change Disaster Risk Assessment Web site showed.
For example, when comparing the ratios of total precipitation between wet and dry seasons across the nation, the disparity is greater in southern Taiwan, so the risk of drought occurring in southern Taiwan is greater than in northern Taiwan.
Photo: CNA
There have been three severe droughts in Taiwan since 2000: one from 2002 to 2004, another from 2015 to 2016, and the last from 2020 to 2021, CWA climate forecasting division head Lo Tzu-ting (羅資婷) said.
Droughts are mainly caused by a lack of precipitation over an extended period, but there could be multiple causes, Lo said, adding that although the three severe droughts affected the whole nation, the severity varied depending on the region.
During the drought between 2020 and 2021, Taiwan had low rainfall due to strong North Pacific High pressure anomalies brought by La Nina. There were no typhoons during that period and the drought was more severe in central and southern Taiwan, Lo said.
Meanwhile, the severe drought from 2002 to 2004, which was not influenced by La Nina, was more serious in central and northern Taiwan, she said.
Rainfall across different regions was relatively low from October 2001 to June 2002, CWA data showed.
In addition to low total precipitation, the number of days with rainfall was also low, especially during the winter and spring seasons, with rainy days dropping to about one-third to one-half of the average number of rainy days for those seasons, the data showed.
In 2014, there was low precipitation during the wet seasons, causing a rare, major drought in Central Taiwan in 2015, which led to taxes being levied on heavy water users, the Water Resources Agency’s data showed.
There are several weather forecast models and drought indexes developed by different meteorological organizations and academics.
Taiwan uses the Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI) and Standardized Precipitation Evapotranspiration Index (SPEI) as meteorological drought indicators, Lo said.
The SPI characterizes droughts in different timescales, such as three months, six months or two years, while the SPEI measures drought severity according to its intensity and duration, and identify the onset and end of drought periods, she said.
Lo said the CWA is developing and recalibrating its drought monitoring and early warning system based on the SPI and the SPEI, which is expected to take about a year.
The improved drought warnings would first be provided to water management and agricultural agencies to help them prepare in advance, Lo added.
Palauan President Surangel Whipps Jr arrived in Taiwan last night to kick off his first visit to the country since beginning his second term earlier this year. After arriving at Taoyuan International Airport at around 6:30 pm, Whipps and his delegation were welcomed by Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍). Speaking to gathered media, the Palauan leader said he was excited and honored to be back in Taiwan on his first state visit to Taiwan since he was sworn in this January. Among those traveling with Whipps is Minister of State Gustav N. Aitaro, Public Infrastructure
President William Lai (賴清德) yesterday thanked Palau for its continued support of Taiwan's international participation, as Taipei was once again excluded from the World Health Assembly (WHA) currently taking place in Switzerland. "Palau has never stopped voicing support for Taiwan" in the UN General Assembly, the WHO and other UN-affiliated agencies, Lai said during a bilateral meeting with visiting Palau President Surangel Whipps Jr. "We have been profoundly touched by these endorsements," Lai said, praising the Pacific island nation's firm support as "courageous." Lai's remarks came as Taiwan was excluded for the ninth consecutive year from the WHA, which is being held in
RESOLUTIONS DEBATE: Taiwan’s allies said that UN and WHA resolutions cited by China and other nations ‘do not determine Taiwan’s participation in WHO activities’ A proposal to invite Taiwan to this year’s World Health Assembly (WHA) was rejected on Monday, resulting in Taipei’s absence from the annual meeting for a ninth consecutive year, although partners spoke up for Taiwan’s participation at the first day of the meeting. The first agenda item after the opening was a “two-on-two debate” on a proposal to invite Taiwan to participate at the WHA as an observer. Similar to previous years, two countries made statements in favor of the proposal, while two others expressed their opposition. Philippine Secretary of Health Teodoro Herbosa, president of the 78th WHA, accepted the WHA General Committee’s
At least three people died and more than a dozen were injured yesterday afternoon when a vehicle struck a group of pedestrians in New Taipei City’s Sansia District (三峽). The incident happened at about 4pm when a car rammed into pedestrians at an intersection near Bei Da Elementary School. Witnesses said the sedan, being driven at a high speed, ran a red light, knocking scooters out of the way and hitting students crossing the road before careening into a median near the intersection of Guocheng and Guoguang streets. The incident resulted in three deaths and 13 injuries, including the driver, a 78-year-old man
RSS