TAIPEI (TVBS News) — Taiwan's Central Weather Administration (CWA, 中央氣象署) unveiled plans Tuesday (April 15) to classify extreme heat as an official hazardous weather condition, marking a significant shift in how the island nation addresses climate threats. The proposed revision to Taiwan's meteorological law would enable authorities to issue formal high-temperature warnings, giving local governments and disaster prevention agencies crucial information to prepare for potentially dangerous heat events.
Lu Kuo-chen (呂國臣), who heads the weather administration, explained that current protocols only allow for informational bulletins about high temperatures rather than formal warnings. The proposed change reflects growing concerns about increasingly extreme climate conditions affecting the island. Officials plan to submit their draft amendment to the Executive Yuan (Taiwan's cabinet) before the end of 2025, potentially transforming how Taiwan responds to dangerous heat waves.
In his interview with the Central News Agency (CNA, 中央社), Taiwan's primary news service, Lu outlined the current classification system, which recognizes typhoons, heavy rainfall, thunderstorms, hail, dense fog, tornadoes, strong winds, cold snaps, foehn winds, and droughts as hazardous weather events. The administrator noted that specific temperature thresholds for the new high-temperature warning system have not yet been finalized. Officials are still determining whether these criteria will match the existing heat advisory framework or require new parameters.
Taiwan has employed a color-coded heat advisory system since June 15, 2018, categorizing dangerous temperatures into three escalating levels: yellow, orange, and red. Under current guidelines, a high-temperature event occurs when readings exceed 36 degrees Celsius (96.8°F). The yellow alert activates when temperatures surpass 36 degrees Celsius (96.8°F), while orange warnings indicate either three consecutive days above 36 degrees Celsius (96.8°F) or a single day exceeding 38 degrees Celsius (100.4°F). The most severe red alert is issued when temperatures climb above 38 degrees Celsius (100.4°F) for three consecutive days. ★