Plum rains to soak Taiwan this weekend

本週末梅雨浸泡台灣

6th plum rain front of season to hit Taiwan over weekend


TAIPEI (Taiwan News) -- The Central Weather Bureau (CWB) predicts that a new plum rain front will bring heavy precipitation to Taiwan from Saturday (June 22) to Monday (June 24).

Wu Der-rong (吳德榮), a meteorologist and adjunct associate professor of atmospheric sciences at National Central University, said that the sixth front of the plum rain season will approach northern Taiwan sometime between Saturday evening and Sunday morning. Once it arrives, it will bring atmospheric instability and the probability of rainfall will rise, along with the possibility of "severe weather."

The CWB said that today (June 18), Taiwan will generally see partly cloudy or sunny skies, with only coastal areas of southern and central Taiwan likely to receive sporadic showers. In the afternoon, heat convection could lead to brief thunderstorms, particularly in mountainous areas.

The CWB reported that temperatures in the western half of Taiwan and in Yilan are expected to reach 34 to 35 degrees Celsius, while most of eastern Taiwan will see highs hitting 32 to 33 degrees. In addition, Kinmen and Matsu will be prone to local fog or low-lying clouds, which will affect visibility.

On Wednesday (June 19), Taiwan will see partly cloudy to sunny skies with sporadic showers in southern and central Taiwan and brief thundershowers in the afternoon, according to the CWB. As for temperatures, western and northeastern Taiwan will experience highs of 34 to 35 degrees, while eastern and southeastern Taiwan will see highs reaching 32 to 33 degrees.

Due to intensifying southwest winds on Thursday (June 20) and Friday (June 21), there will be brief local showers or thunderstorms in the western half of the country and cloudy weather in other areas, but thunderstorms will strike in the afternoon. Warming caused by the subsidence of southwest winds over the mountains will bring a chance of foehn winds in southeastern Taiwan on Friday.

The CWB warned that from Saturday through Monday, the position of a plum rain front off the coast of northern Taiwan will cause the weather to become more unstable and the probability of rainfall to increase. There will be brief showers or thunderstorms in western and northeastern Taiwan, while scattered showers are possible in other areas.

As for temperatures, although there will be more moisture when there are gaps between showers, most areas will be muggy and hot, with highs surpassing 30 degrees.