Severe Tropical Storm Mawar brings last wave of rain to north Taiwan

輕颱瑪娃為北台灣帶來最後一波雨

Heavy rain advisory for Taipei City, New Taipei City, Taoyuan City, Hsinchu County, and Yilan County


TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Typhoon Mawar (瑪娃) has been downgraded to a severe tropical storm and is bringing one last wave of rain to northern Taiwan on Thursday (June 1) before fully exiting nearby eastern waters on Friday (June 2).

As of 2 a.m. on Thursday, Mawar was 460 km southeast of Taipei, moving north at 15 kph. It had a 250 km radius and was packing maximum sustained winds of 108 kph and gusts of up to 136 kph, the Central Weather Bureau (CWB) reported.

At 4:10 a.m., the CWB issued a strong wind advisory for Changhua County, Yunlin County, Chiayi County, Tainan City, Kaohsiung City, Pingtung County, Hengchun Peninsula, Penghu County. The CWB said gusts of up to 9 or 10 on the Beaufort scale may occur in the coastal areas of the places listed in the advisory.

The CWB at 6:55 a.m. issued an extremely heavy rain advisory for Taipei City, New Taipei City, Taoyuan City, Hsinchu County, and Yilan County. In addition, it issued a large wave advisory for the north coast of Keelung, coastal areas of eastern Taiwan, the Hengchun Peninsula, and the Matsu Islands.

At 5:30 a.m., wave heights of about three meters were observed in New Taipei City's Longdong Bay and Taitung County's Orchid Island.

Meteorologist Daniel Wu (吳德榮) in his daily report said that the latest European (ECMWF) modeling shows that due to the influence of Mawar's periphery on Thursday, there is a chance of localized showers in areas windward of the storm in northern and eastern Taiwan, and the rainfall in northern Taiwan will be more significant.

Mountainous areas of northern Taiwan and Yilan County have accumulated a lot of rainfall in the past three days, and landslides and rockfalls are prone to occur, warned Wu. The weather in the plains of central and southern Taiwan will be sunny and hot, but there is a possibility of afternoon showers in mountainous areas.

Wu advised the public to beware of strong gusts and large waves along the coast and avoid seaside activities. On Thursday, temperatures in plains areas in the north will range between 23 and 29 C, 24 to 33 C in central Taiwan, 24 to 35 C in the south, and 22 to 34 C in the east.

He added on Friday, Mawar's impact on Taiwan's shores will be reduced. Skies will be cloudy in northern Taiwan after possible morning rain, while central and southern plains areas will see partly cloudy to sunny skies, but there will still be a chance of showers in mountainous areas of the country and eastern Taiwan.

Wu said on Saturday (June 3), skies will be partly cloudy to sunny across the country as temperatures will be hot. The public is urged to take precautions for hot temperatures and high UV levels.

In the afternoon,there is a chance of localized showers in the mountainous areas of central and southern Taiwan. From Sunday to Wednesday (June 4-7), skies will continue to be partly cloudy to sunny with high temperatures, with the chance of occasional afternoon showers in mountainous areas.