Draft legislation that would classify high temperatures as hazardous weather, allowing local governments to suspend school and work on extremely hot days, is expected to be announced later this month, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said today.
The agency attended a meeting of the Legislative Yuan’s Transportation Committee today to discuss the draft amendment to the Meteorological Act (氣象法).
Legislators have also proposed a version that classifies high temperatures as hazardous weather.
Photo: Reuters
The Executive Yuan’s version has yet to be proposed, as the CWA needs to submit a final version to the Ministry of Transportation and Communications before it is sent to the Cabinet.
The agency is currently working on another draft, after the ministry sent it back for revisions based on collected feedback.
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Hung Meng-kai (洪孟楷) said if the bill cannot be proposed this legislative session, guidelines must be established for people to follow next summer.
CWA Administrator Lu Kuo-cheng (呂國臣) said that Taiwan’s temperatures continue to rise, with Yushan (玉山) seeing record highs this year and Taipei seeing more than 70 days hotter than 35°C.
Work and school need not be suspended for the full day on extremely hot days, Lu said.
Standards for suspension vary across industries and work environments, as indoor and outdoor workers, as well as farmers and students have different needs, he said.
The agency also suggested that tropical depressions be classified as hazardous weather, as they have caused disasters in recent years, such as severe flooding in southern Taiwan on Aug. 23, 2018.
In addition, legislators during the session suggested that typhoon days be decided uniformly by the CWA, taking the pressure off local governments to make the decision, as it is largely based on CWA data.
Typhoon days used to be determined by the central government, but are now decided by each municipality.
Lu said that typhoon days are not based solely on wind and rainfall forecasts.
Other factors such as living conditions, water, electricity and environment must also be considered, he added.
Foreign travelers entering Taiwan on a short layover via Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport are receiving NT$600 gift vouchers from yesterday, the Tourism Administration said, adding that it hopes the incentive would boost tourism consumption at the airport. The program, which allows travelers holding non-Taiwan passports who enter the country during a layover of up to 24 hours to claim a voucher, aims to promote attractions at the airport, the agency said in a statement on Friday. To participate, travelers must sign up on the campaign Web site, the agency said. They can then present their passport and boarding pass for their connecting international
Three Taiwanese airlines have prohibited passengers from packing Bluetooth earbuds and their charger cases in checked luggage. EVA Air and Uni Air said that Bluetooth earbuds and charger cases are categorized as portable electronic devices, which should be switched off if they are placed in checked luggage based on international aviation safety regulations. They must not be in standby or sleep mode. However, as charging would continue when earbuds are placed in the charger cases, which would contravene international aviation regulations, their cases must be carried as hand luggage, they said. Tigerair Taiwan said that earbud charger cases are equipped
Temperatures in northern Taiwan are forecast to reach as high as 30°C today, as an ongoing northeasterly seasonal wind system weakens, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. CWA forecaster Tseng Chao-cheng (曾昭誠) said yesterday that with the seasonal wind system weakening, warmer easterly winds would boost the temperature today. Daytime temperatures in northern Taiwan and Yilan County are expected to range from 28°C to 30°C today, up about 3°C from yesterday, Tseng said. According to the CWA, temperature highs in central and southern Taiwan could stay stable. However, the weather is expected to turn cooler starting tonight as the northeasterly wind system strengthens again
Taiwan sweltered through its hottest October on record, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday, the latest in a string of global temperature records. The main island endured its highest average temperature since 1950, CWA forecaster Liu Pei-teng said. Temperatures the world over have soared in recent years as human-induced climate change contributes to ever more erratic weather patterns. Taiwan’s average temperature was 27.381°C as of Thursday, Liu said. Liu said the average could slip 0.1°C by the end of yesterday, but it would still be higher than the previous record of 27.009°C in 2016. "The temperature only started lowering around Oct. 18 or 19
RSS