Heavy rain alert issued for 9 counties, cities in Taiwan, rains to last till Sat.

9縣市發出大雨特報，雨將持續至周六

CWB issues heavy rain alert in 9 counties, cities as plum rains set to pound Taiwan for 4 more days


TAIPEI (Taiwan News) -- The Central Weather Bureau (CWB) has issued a heavy rain advisory for nine counties and cities in Taiwan today (June 12) as a plum rain front is set to pummel Taiwan for four more days.

The CWB has issued heavy rain and extremely advisory for nine counties and cities in southwest Taiwan as the plum rain front has shifted south today. A heavy rain advisory is in place for Changhua County, Yunlin County, Tainan city, and Chiayi City, while an extremely heavy rain advisory has been issued for Taichung City, Nantou County, Kaohsiung City, Chiayi County, and Pingtung County.

CWB forecaster Chen Yi-hsiu (陳依秀) said the plum rain front and southwestern winds will continue to bring unstable weather to the country, including the possibility of local heavy rain or torrential rain. Wu Der-rong (吳德榮), an adjunct associate professor of atmospheric sciences at National Central University, said that convection of the stationary plum rain front could increase during the day, bringing severe weather.

Wu said that the front will gradually move north tonight and into Thursday morning (June 13), and although convection will weaken slightly, rain is still likely. From Thursday evening to Friday morning (June 14), the front will shift from north to south again, increasing convection.

On its Facebook page, WeatherRisk has created a map showing the likely patterns of precipitation in Taiwan over the next four days:


Map showing precipitation from Wed. through Sat. (WeatherRisk Facebook image)

Chen told ETtoday that the plum rain front has shifted south and rainfall in southern and central Taiwan is more likely today, especially in the mountains. Chen said that although rainfall in the north should be less overall, heavy downpours or torrential rain are possible throughout Taiwan today.

High temperatures across Taiwan will range between 27 and 30 degrees Celsius, while lows will range between 23 and 26 degrees in the evening. When it is not raining, the conditions will feel hot and muggy, especially in central and southern Taiwan.

Wu said that the plum rain front will move south toward the Bashi Channel on Saturday (June 15) and Sunday (June 16), when the weather in northern Taiwan should improve. The weather in other parts of Taiwan should also be mild, but there is a chance of isolated showers.

Although the front is expected to move north again on Monday (June 17), by that time its structure will have weakened. Wu said that local showers are still possible on Monday, but by Tuesday (June 18), the front should move out to sea north of Taiwan.

However, Chen warned that on Monday and Tuesday, a southern cloud system will begin to affect Taiwan. He said that moisture and hot air from the south of Taiwan will bring showers or thunderstorms to western and southeastern parts of the country, while other areas will see cloudy skies or brief thunderstorms in the afternoon.