High temperatures would be added to the list of “hazardous weather” if amendments to the Meteorological Act (氣象法) proposed by the Central Weather Administration (CWA) are promulgated.
Article 2 of the act defines hazardous weather as “weather phenomena which may cause loss of life and property such as typhoon, heavy rain, torrential rain, thunder and lightning, hail, dense fog, tornado, high wind, low temperature, foehn [wind], drought, etc.”
When such conditions arise, the agency is authorized to issue warnings and special advisories.
Photo: CNA
CWA Administrator Lu Kuo-chen (呂國臣) told the Central News Agency in an interview that the agency is considering adding high temperatures to the list due to the rise in frequency of their occurrence.
The amendments would allow the CWA to issue special advisories when the mercury rises markedly, which would help local government officials and disaster relief agencies to respond appropriately, Lu said.
The CWA plans to send the proposal to the Executive Yuan for further deliberation this year, he said.
The agency is still deliberating the conditions to be met before a special advisory for high temperatures would be issued and whether it would continue its high temperature warning system, he added.
The CWA’s current system has run since June 15, 2018, with alerts issued when ground-level temperatures reach 36°C.
A “yellow” warning means temperatures would reach 36°C, “orange” means they would be at least 36°C for three days or more and “red” means temperatures would be at least 38°C for three days or more.
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