Heavy thunderstorms with sustained lightning and thunder yesterday morning caused flooding and power outages in Changhua County, including Lugang (鹿港) and Huatan (花壇) townships.
Flooding was reported on several roads in Lugang, while water on Jhangyuan Road in Huatan rose to nearly half the height of a car tire, as the Central Weather Administration (CWA) issued a real-time thunderstorm alert for Changhua in the morning.
The thunderstorms also caused widespread power outages in the county’s coastal areas.
Photo: Tang Shih-ming, Taipei Times
After Taiwan Power Co (Taipower) rerouted power via interconnected feeder lines to reduce the scale of the blackout, 4,478 households remained without power, the company’s Changhua branch said.
Democratic Progressive Party Changhua County Councilor Lai Ching-mei (賴清美), who visited coastal areas early in the morning, said two villages in Shengang Township (神岡) lost power, and traffic lights were no longer working, while parts of Hemei Township (和美) were also flooded.
The thunderstorms also flooded the forecourt of Lugang Tianhou Temple (天后宮), a designated national historic site, with water reaching knee height.
The temple’s main incense burner and offering tables were submerged in water.
At 11:55am yesterday, the CWA issued a torrential rain warning for Changhua.
A torrential rain warning is triggered when accumulated rainfall exceeds 350mm in one day or 200mm within a three-hour period.
CWA forecaster Chang Cheng-chuan (張承傳) said that although Typhoon Danas has moved farther away, Taiwan remains affected by a low-pressure system and southwesterly winds, which brought significant rainfall to the central and southern regions yesterday.
The effects are expected to persist through Friday, bringing rain nationwide, he said, adding that brief showers or thunderstorms in central and southern Taiwan might last longer than usual, and residents in mountainous areas should remain alert for localized heavy rainfall.
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