Offices, schools closed in southern Taiwan due to torrential rain

Widespread Closures in Southern Taiwan

Regional governments across southern Taiwan closed offices and schools on Monday as torrential rain continued to lash the region, according to The Straits Times. The two cities of Kaohsiung and Tainan, together home to more than four million people, ordered closures, as did the counties of Pingtung, Chiayi, Taitung, and Hualien.

The closures were blamed on a low pressure system that had hovered over the area for several days, bringing heavy rain and causing flooding. The Kaohsiung government said it expected cumulative rainfall over the five-day period to exceed 1.3 metres — nearly half of what the city typically receives in an entire year.

Forecast Warnings and Regional Impact

The Central Weather Administration (CWA) said heavy rain was expected to continue across much of Taiwan through Tuesday morning, with torrential rainfall likely in southern and southeastern areas due to strong southwesterly winds and multiple weather systems, according to the Taipei Times. The CWA issued warnings for torrential or extremely torrential rain in Tainan, Kaohsiung, Pingtung County, and Taitung County, and for extremely heavy to torrential rain in Chiayi County, Hualien County, and on the Hengchun Peninsula. Heavy to extremely heavy rain was also expected in Changhua County, Yunlin County, Chiayi City, Yilan County, Green Island, and Penghu.

Record Rainfall in Tainan

Tainan experienced continuous rain since Friday night, the CWA said, with Yongkang District recording more than 132mm of rainfall in three hours and Rende District nearly 100mm over the same period. By 3:20pm on the previous day, rainfall in Pingtung County had also been significant, though full figures were not included in the report.

Tropical Depression Adds to Downpours

The CWA also highlighted Tropical Depression TD22, which it said would strengthen southwesterly winds and bring more downpours. The depression was expected to compound the effects of the already active weather systems affecting the area.

Typhoon Saudel Approaches

While southern regions braced for more rain, Taiwan's Central Weather Administration noted that Typhoon Saudel, currently heading towards Japan's southern Okinawa region, was expected to pass by the northern part of Taiwan early on Friday before reaching the eastern coast of China. The storm's path was provided by the weather agency, as more of a forecast for the coming days.