Key Points
- Flooding disrupts rail services and threatens further travel delays
- Typhoon Saudel expected to pass northern Taiwan on Friday
- Officials warn residents to avoid unnecessary travel
ISLAMABAD: Torrential rains across southern Taiwan forced schools and offices to close on Monday and disrupted rail services, as authorities prepared for Typhoon Saudel to approach the island later this week.
A low-pressure system has lingered over southern Taiwan for days, producing intense rainfall and flooding across several areas.
Local governments in the major southern cities of Kaohsiung and Tainan ordered schools and offices closed, along with authorities in Pingtung and Chiayi counties.
The eastern counties of Taitung and Hualien also announced closures as heavy rain continued.
Typhoon and Rains affect Taiwan’s densly populated areas
The affected areas are home to millions of people and include some of Taiwan’s most important industrial, agricultural and transport centres.
Kaohsiung authorities said cumulative rainfall from the five-day period affected by the low-pressure system was expected to exceed 1.3 metres (4.3 feet).
That would amount to nearly half the city’s typical annual rainfall in just five days, highlighting the severity of the weather system.
Taiwan Railway said services on the main east coast route would be disrupted, with express trains cancelled and local services operating subject to weather conditions. Services to and from Kaohsiung and Taitung were also affected.
Taitung County Chief April Yao urged residents to remain indoors unless travel was necessary, warning of the risks posed by the severe weather.
The heavy rain comes as Taiwan prepares for another weather threat.
The Central Weather Administration said Typhoon Saudel, currently moving towards Japan’s southern Okinawa region, was expected to pass northern Taiwan early on Friday before moving towards the eastern coast of China.
Authorities are monitoring the typhoon’s projected path because already saturated ground and swollen rivers could increase the risk of flooding and landslides if further heavy rain reaches the island.
Taiwan regularly experiences typhoons and extreme rainfall during the summer months, with mountainous terrain making parts of the island particularly vulnerable to flash floods and landslides.
Its location in the western Pacific also places it along the path of storms moving towards East and Southeast Asia.
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The latest weather disruption follows a series of severe storms across the region this summer, underscoring the continuing risks from intense rainfall and tropical cyclones across East Asia.
Taiwan’s authorities have urged residents in vulnerable areas to monitor weather warnings and avoid unnecessary travel as the low-pressure system continues to affect the island and Typhoon Saudel approaches.
