Four dead as storms dump record rain on Taiwan, triggering floods and landslides
Torrential rain has lashed swathes of the island since July 28, forcing several thousand people to seek shelter, damaging roads, and shuttering offices.
Maolin, a mountainous district in southern Taiwan, recorded 2.8 metres (nine feet) of rain since July 28, Central Weather Administration (CWA) forecaster Li Ming-siang told AFP.
That's more than Taiwan's annual rainfall of 2.1 metres last year, according to the agency's data.
The unusually heavy downpours were caused by a low-pressure system and strong southwesterly winds, Li said.
'The southwesterly winds have brought heavy moisture from the South China Sea to Taiwan,' Li said.
Li said southwesterly winds were normally brought by typhoons affecting the island and seasonal rain in May and June.
This time it was caused by Typhoon Co-May pushing southwesterly winds further north as it swept past eastern Taiwan on its way to China, Li said, adding the rain was not linked to climate change.
The average rainfall across the island last month was the highest for the month of July since 1939, the CWA said.
The torrential rain follows Typhoon Danas, which hit Taiwan in early July.
Two people were killed and hundreds injured as the storm dumped more than 500 millimetres (20 inches) of rain across the south over a weekend.
'We rarely encounter a disaster of this scale,' Premier Cho Jung-tai said during a visit to a flood-hit area in the southern Tainan City on Monday.
'From Typhoon Danas up to now, we've faced nearly a month of continuous and heavy rainfall.'
The week of bad weather left four people dead, three missing, and 77 injured, a disaster official said.
Nearly 6,000 people were forced to leave their homes.
The state weather forecaster expects the rain to ease in the coming days.
Taiwan is accustomed to frequent tropical storms from July to October.
Scientists say human-driven climate change is causing more intense weather patterns that can make destructive floods more likely. — AFP
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Malay Mail
13 hours ago
- Malay Mail
Monsoon mayhem in Pakistan: Over 200 dead in flash floods, northern regions battered
ISLAMABAD, Aug 16 — The death toll from heavy monsoon rains that have triggered flash floods across northern Pakistan has risen to at least 225 people in the past 48 hours, the disaster authority said today. The majority of the deaths, 211, were recorded in mountainous Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, according to the National Disaster Management Authority. Nine more people were killed in Pakistan-administered Kashmir, while five died in the northern Gilgit-Baltistan region, it said. Most were killed in flash floods and collapsing houses, while 21 others were injured. The meteorological department has issued a heavy rain alert for Pakistan's northwest for the next few hours, urging people to take 'precautionary measures'. The provincial government has declared the severely affected mountainous districts of Buner, Bajaur, Swat, Shangla, Mansehra and Battagram disaster-hit areas. Meanwhile, the provincial rescue agency told AFP that around 2,000 rescue workers were engaged in recovering bodies from the debris and carrying out relief operations in nine affected districts. 'Heavy rainfall, landslides in several areas, and washed-out roads are causing significant challenges in delivering aid, particularly in transporting heavy machinery and ambulances,' Bilal Ahmed Faizi, spokesman for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's Rescue agency told AFP. 'Due to road closures in most areas, rescue workers are traveling on foot to conduct operations in remote regions,' he added. 'They are trying to evacuate survivors, but very few people are relocating due to the deaths of their relatives or loved ones being trapped in the debris.' — AFP
Free Malaysia Today
2 days ago
- Free Malaysia Today
Hong Kong issues highest weather warning as rain shuts public services
Hong Kong typically receives an annual average of 2,220mm of rainfall, more than half of which usually falls from June through August. (EPA Images pic) HONG KONG : Hong Kong's weather bureau said its highest 'black' rainstorm warning would remain in place until 11am on Tuesday, as heavy rains lashed the Asian financial hub, closing hospital wards, schools, and the jurisdiction's courts and register offices. The storms follow deadly flash floods in Southern China over the weekend, which left five dead in Guangdong province and prompted a large-scale search operation involving over 1,300 rescuers. 'Persistent rainstorm will cause serious road flooding and traffic congestion. Members of the public are advised to take shelter in a safe place,' the Hong Kong Observatory said in a bulletin on its website. The authority reported 9,837 lightning strokes over the city between 6am and 6.59 am. Up to 60-90mm of rain is hitting Hong Kong and the nearby Chinese city of Guangzhou per hour, according to China's weather authority. Hong Kong typically receives an annual average of 2,220mm of rainfall, more than half of which usually falls from June through August. The Hong Kong Stock Exchange remains open, having changed its policy to continue trading whatever the weather late last year. Hong Kong's hospital authority announced that accident and emergency wards will remain open, but general outpatient clinics and geriatric and psychiatric day hospitals will close due to the extreme weather. While the judiciary said that courts, tribunals and register offices would open 'as soon as practical within two hours after the 'black' rainstorm warning is cancelled,' in a statement. The post office said that all its premises and delivery services would be suspended until the storm warning had passed. The city's airport has not reported any disruptions. Hong Kong Disneyland remains open, with limited operations.
The Star
3 days ago
- The Star
Podul batters island's south
Danger alert: Swells from Typhoon Podul battering the Kaohsiung coastline. — AFP Typhoon Podul pounded the country, shutting down businesses in the south, grounding hundreds of flights and knocking out power for tens of thousands of households. Wind gusts of up to 178kph were recorded shortly before the typhoon made landfall in Taitung County yesterday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. One person is missing after he went fishing and was swept away, and 33 have been injured, the National Fire Agency said. More than 7,300 people have been evacuated from their homes, and trees and signs have been toppled, as the storm sweeps across central and southern regions still recovering from last month's storms. 'Kaohsiung, Tainan and Chiayi will become major rainfall hotspots tonight, with increasing rain also expected in Penghu and Kinmen,' CWA Administrator Lu Kuo-chen told a briefing attended by President Lai Ching-te. 'We are worried about this typhoon,' Kaohsiung fisherman Huang Wei said as he tied down his boat with ropes, hours ahead of Podul making landfall. 'We had already made general typhoon preparations yesterday, but this morning I woke up and saw news reports that the typhoon has intensified to be as strong as the last, (Typhoon) Krathon. 'Last time, the two boats behind us weren't tied properly and hit my boat,' he added as he checked on other vessels. Krathon slammed into Kaohsiung in October, with wind gusts of 162kph. All domestic flights across the island of 23 million people have been cancelled yesterday, and international journeys as well. More than 134,500 households have suffered power outages. High-speed rail services on the west coast have been reduced, while train services in the southeast have been cancelled. Many ferry services have also been suspended, and businesses and schools across the south are closed. More than 31,500 soldiers were ready to assist in rescue and relief efforts, disaster officials said. The CWA expects mountain areas in Kaohsiung and Tainan could be hit with a cumulative 400-600mm of rain from Tuesday to today. Podul has already entered the Taiwan Strait. Typhoon Danas, which hit Taiwan in early July, killed two people and injured hundreds as the storm dumped more than 500mm of rain across the south over a weekend. That was followed by torrential rain from July 28 to Aug 4, with some areas recording more than Taiwan's rainfall of 2.1m for 2024. The week of bad weather left five people dead, three missing and 78 injured, a disaster official said previously. Taiwan is accustomed to frequent tropical storms from July to October, and scientists have shown that human-driven climate change is causing more intense weather patterns that can make destructive floods more likely. Global warming, driven largely by the burning of fossil fuels, is not just about rising temperatures, but the knock-on effect of all the extra heat in the atmosphere and seas. Warmer air can hold more water vapour, and warmer oceans mean greater evaporation, resulting in more intense downpours and storms. — AFP
