5 days of heavy rain likely in Taiwan starting Wednesday

台灣週三開始可能有5天的暴雨

Soggy Dragon Boat Festival weekend likely for 20 counties and cities in Taiwan


TAIPEI (Taiwan News) -- The weather could put a damper on the upcoming Dragon Boat Festival this weekend as heavy rain is forecast to fall from June 13 to June 18, with flooding possible in cities and low-lying areas, according to the Central Weather Bureau (CWB).

Due to the impact of a low pressure area and unstable weather, the CWB has issued an heavy rain advisory for 20 counties and cities in Taiwan and an extremely heavy rain advisory for central Taiwan's Yunlin County, Nantou County and Chiayi County. However, after noon, the CWB predicts that dry air will gradually creep in from the north and water vapor will decrease from northern to southern Taiwan, thus causing the rain to gradually taper off during the day.

As for the temperature today, due to the northeasterly winds, cloudy skies and rain, highs should be two to four degrees cooler than yesterday, with northern Taiwan and Yilan seeing highs of 27 to 30 degrees Celsius and areas south seeing highs of 32 to 34 degrees Celsius.

Though Taiwan is likely to see at sunny skies and hot weather tomorrow, starting on Wednesday (June 13), due to the effects of a stagnant front and and southwesterly winds, the weather will become extremely unstable with small and medium-scale convective systems causing severe weather. Showers and thunderstorms will be likely throughout Taiwan, with large accumulations possible in some areas due to heavy or torrential rain.

CWB forecaster Lin Ting-yi (林定宜) said that starting from June 13 and at least until June 17, it is best to avoid activities in the mountains or near streams. Meanwhile, metropolitan areas and low-lying areas need to make preparations to avoid flooding or water accumulation caused by sudden, heavy downpours.

The CWB predicts that due to the ongoing effects of a stagnant weather front and strong southwesterly winds, the weather from June 18 to June 20 could continue to remain unstable, however weather forecasts more seven days in the future have a lower degree of accuracy.