Significantly more seismic activity was recorded in Tainan and Chiayi County this year following a major earthquake in Chiayi’s Dapu Township (大埔) in January, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday.
The agency at a news conference reviewed this year’s significant weather and seismic events, and presented a general weather forecast for spring.
From 2020 to last year, a yearly average of nine earthquakes in the “noticeable range” were recorded in the two counties, Seismological Center Director Wu Chien-fu (吳健富) said.
Photo: CNA
This year, the center detected 62 such quakes centered in the two counties, 6.9 times more than the average, Wu said.
They were mainly triggered by a magnitude 6.4 quake that struck Dapu on Jan. 21 at a depth of 9.7km, he said.
A total of 143 aftershocks were recorded in January, before the activity subsided in February, Wu said, adding that small quakes are still occurring.
On average, about 32,000 earthquakes occur in Taiwan annually, Wu said.
This year, there was one earthquake with a magnitude of 7, five earthquakes with a magnitude of 6 or higher, 41 with a magnitude of 5 or higher, and 306 with a magnitude of 4 or higher, Wu said.
There were 156 noticeable earthquakes, close to the 10-year average of 150, he said.
The largest this year was the magnitude 7 quake that struck off Yilan County on Saturday, followed by January’s magnitude 6.4 earthquake in Dapu and another magnitude 6.4 quake off Hualien County on June 11.
Meanwhile, Taiwan’s average temperature this year rose to 24.53°C, about 1.22°C higher than the average from 1901 to 2000.
Weather Forecast Center Director Huang Chun-hsi (黃椿喜) said that the average global temperature from January to last month reached 14°C, a 1.18°C increase.
It was the second-highest average global temperature since 1850, second to last year’s, Huang said.
As of Sunday, the average temperature in Taiwan was 24.53°C, about 1.22°C higher than the average from 1901 to 2000, he said.
It was the 12th-highest average temperature recorded in Taiwan since 1897, he said.
Except for lower average temperatures in January, February and July, monthly temperatures were within the normal range or higher than normal, he said, adding that the forecast center in September and October recorded extremely high temperatures.
Thanks to four typhoons and strong southwesterly airflow, Taiwan has had more rainfall than normal this year, particularly in spring and summer, he said.
Rainfall in July was the highest since 1951, but the number of rainy days was the ninth-lowest over the same period, he added.
Four of the 27 typhoons that formed in the northwestern Pacific Ocean this year made landfall in Taiwan, including Typhoon Danas, which severely impacted the nation’s southwest in July; Typhoon Podul in August; Typhoon Ragasa, which brought intense rainfall to Hualien and Taitung counties in September and caused a barrier lake on the Mataian River (馬太鞍溪) to collapse; and Typhoon Fung-wong last month, which caused severe flooding in Yilan, Huang said.
Currently, the La Nina effect remains the dominant influence in the tropical Pacific regions, he said.
“Based on simulations of meteorological data, the CWA forecast that temperatures from next month to March would fall within normal range or higher than climate average, while rainfall during the same period would be normal or lower than climate average. However, people should still be prepared for the arrival of cold waves and rain fronts,” he added.
Chinese spouse and influencer Guan Guan’s (關關) residency permit has been revoked for repeatedly posting pro-China videos that threaten national security, the National Immigration Agency confirmed today. Guan Guan has said many controversial statements in her videos posted to Douyin (抖音), including “the red flag will soon be painted all over Taiwan” and “Taiwan is an inseparable part of China,” and expressing hope for expedited reunification. The agency last year received multiple reports alleging that Guan Guan had advocated for armed reunification. After verifying the reports, the agency last month issued a notice requiring her to appear and explain her actions. Guan
The Kaohsiung Tourism Bureau audited six hotels in an effort to prevent price gouging ahead of Korean band BTS’ concert tour in the city scheduled for Nov. 19, 21 and 22 this year. The bureau on Friday said that the audits — conducted in response to allegations of unfair pricing posted on social media — found no wrongdoing. These establishments included the local branches of Chateau de Chine, Hotel Nikko, My Humble House, and Grand Hai Lai, it said, adding that the Consumer Protection Commission would have penalized price gougers had the accusations been substantiated. The bureau said the Tourism Development Act
BACK TO WINTER: A strong continental cold air mass would move south on Tuesday next week, bringing colder temperatures to northern and central Taiwan A tropical depression east of the Philippines could soon be upgraded to be the first tropical storm of this year, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday, adding that the next cold air mass is forecast to arrive on Monday next week. CWA forecaster Cheng Jie-ren (鄭傑仁) said the first tropical depression of this year is over waters east of the Philippines, about 1,867km southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), and could strengthen into Tropical Storm Nokaen by early today. The system is moving slowly from northwest to north, and is expected to remain east of the Philippines with little chance of affecting Taiwan,
The military yesterday said it has located the flight data recorder, or black box, of an F-16V jet that disappeared off eastern Taiwan earlier this month, and it would soon deploy a salvage team to try to retrieve it. Air Force Command Headquarters said that while it had pinned down the location of the black box, it was still searching for the aircraft’s sole pilot, air force Captain Hsin Po-yi (辛柏毅). Without providing details, the air force said it had located the black box days after detecting some intermittent signals and would now engage a team of professionals to retrieve it. The air
RSS