A low-pressure system, combined with southwesterly winds, would continue to affect Taiwan today, resulting in a high possibility of rain nationwide, according to the Central Weather Administration (CWA).
Meanwhile, the CWA has issued extremely heavy rainfall advisories for Changhua, Nantou, Yunlin, Chiayi and Tainan. An extremely heavy rain advisory is issued when rainfall is expected to exceed 200 millimeters in a day or 100 millimeters within three hours.
An advisory for extremely torrential rain — defined as over 500mm of rainfall within 24 hours — is also in effect for Taitung and Pingtung counties in southern and southeastern Taiwan.
Photo courtesy of Central Weather Administration
Unstable weather is also expected to affect Taiwan's offshore islands, including Penghu, Kinmen and Matsu, with a likelihood of heavy rain, the CWA said.
The CWA said temperatures across Taiwan today are expected to range from highs of 27-31°C to lows of 25-27°C.
Independent meteorologist Wu Der-rong (吳德榮) said the unstable weather is likely to persist tomorrow due to abundant moisture carried by southwesterly winds.
Cloudy to sunny skies are expected across Taiwan over the weekend, though brief afternoon showers may still occur, Wu said, adding that rain is more likely from Monday to Wednesday.
Local governments in Tainan, Kaohsiung, Pingtung County, Taitung County, Chiayi County and Yunlin County have announced school and office closures in several rain-affected districts and townships today, following forecasts of up to 400 millimeters of rainfall in southern Taiwan over the next 24 hours.
Schools and government offices are to be closed today in 12 districts in Tainan, five mountainous districts in Kaohsiung, nine townships in Pingtung and five townships in Taitung, while some schools in nine townships in Chiayi and one township in Yunlin are to be closed, according to announcements by the local governments.
The 12 districts in Tainan are Xinying, Yanshui, Liuying, Houbi, Dongshan, Baihe, Beimen, Jiangjun, Xuejia, Qigu, Xigang and Jiali, where the city government said some local residents are still facing power outages after Typhoon Danas struck southern Taiwan over the weekend.
The Tainan City government cited the CWA forecast issued at 7pm yesterday for rainfall across Taiwan over the following 24 hours, which warns of heavy downpours caused by two low-pressure systems around Taiwan, including one downgraded from Danas.
The CWA forecast 200-340mm of rainfall for all of Tainan, and low-lying areas in Kaohsiung and Pingtung County until 7pm today, and 250-400mm for mountainous areas in Kaohsiung and Pingtung during the same 24-hour period.
Meanwhile, the Pingtung County government said in a statement that the southernmost county has been hit by rain for days since Danas moved over Taiwan from the south.
Schools and government offices in the mountainous townships of Wutai, Sandimen, Majia, Laiyi, Taiwu, Chunri, Shizi, Mudan and Manzhou would be closed today as a precaution, it said.
The county government said the days of rain could lead to rockfalls and landslides in mountainous areas, as warned by the CWA.
Based on the same concerns over heavy rain-caused disasters, schools and government offices in Kaohsiung's Taoyuan, Namaxia, Maolin, Liugui and Jiaxian districts are to be closed today, the city government said.
As of 4:40pm yesterday, 897 residents had been evacuated from mountainous areas in Kaohsiung, according to the city government, which also warned about possible flooding in coastal areas today.
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