Taipei: Parts of southern Taiwan are forecast to receive heavy rain on Thursday, as the Central Weather Administration (CWA) has predicted localized heavy rain beginning early in the morning, with sporadic showers or thunderstorms expected across other parts of the country.
According to Focus Taiwan, CWA forecaster Huang En-hung explained that as a frontal system from the north approaches and southwesterly winds strengthen, showers or thunderstorms are anticipated to begin in southern Taiwan late Wednesday. Heavy rain or even torrential rain is likely in parts of that region on Thursday. Other areas of Taiwan may experience scattered showers or thunderstorms, with a possibility of localized heavy rain in mountainous areas during the afternoon.
Huang further detailed that on Friday and Saturday, the frontal system will continue to impact Taiwan, bringing localized brief showers or thunderstorms to the western and southeastern regions. There is a potential for localized heavy rain in mountainous areas across the island, with rainfall intensity expected to peak on Friday, particularly in western Taiwan, where short-duration torrential rain might occur.
Regarding temperatures, daytime highs across Taiwan are expected to drop to around 28-30 degrees Celsius from Thursday to Saturday due to increased cloud cover and rainfall. However, starting Sunday, weather conditions are predicted to stabilize, leading to a rise in temperatures, with highs reaching 32-34 degrees Celsius across the country.
In terms of tropical activity, Typhoon Mekkhala was located over the sea 490 kilometers southeast of Taipei at 2 p.m. Wednesday. It is predicted to move northward along the eastern side of Taiwan throughout Thursday, before turning toward waters south of Japan that evening and moving away from Taiwan. Mekkhala is expected to weaken as it moves north, potentially becoming a tropical storm by Wednesday night. Meanwhile, Tropical Storm Higos, situated 2,190 km east-southeast of Eluanbi, has shown no significant development recently. It is forecast to weaken into a tropical system as it moves north in the coming days, with little likelihood of interaction with Typhoon Mekkhala.