TAIPEI (TVBS News) — Taiwan braced for potentially dangerous weather conditions on Wednesday (May 7) as the Central Weather Administration (CWA, 中央氣象署), the island's national meteorological agency, issued heavy rain advisories affecting 14 counties and cities across the island. Officials warned that an approaching weather front would trigger intense, short-duration downpours, with mountainous areas in central Taiwan's Nantou County (南投縣) already reporting torrential rainfall.
Weather expert Lin Te'en (林得恩) warned that regions north of Chiayi County in central Taiwan face significant precipitation risks, with northeastern and eastern coastal areas particularly vulnerable to thunderstorms and powerful gusts. In his widely followed weather column, meteorologist Wu Derong (吳德榮) predicted the weather system would dominate conditions throughout the week. Wu cautioned that a second front would sweep southward across the island during the weekend, potentially creating severe weather hazards.
The weather agency urged residents to remain alert for sudden downpours, emphasizing that precipitation would intensify in territories north of Chiayi and across Taiwan's northeastern and eastern seaboard, manifesting as sporadic but potentially intense showers. Officials noted that northern and northeastern regions would experience a modest cooling effect, with daytime temperatures dipping to between 23 and 25 degrees Celsius (73.4 and 77°F), a change significant enough to warrant additional clothing layers for vulnerable populations.
Wu projected that the current weather system would drift northward on Thursday and Friday, temporarily delivering partly cloudy to sunny conditions with comfortable warmth across most of Taiwan, though mountainous terrain might still experience isolated afternoon showers. The meteorologist warned that weekend conditions would deteriorate as a fresh weather front approaches, triggering renewed showers and possible thunderstorms that would cool northern Taiwan and potentially create hazardous conditions requiring public vigilance.
Looking ahead to the following week, Wu predicted the weather front would continue its southward trajectory across the Bashi Channel, the strait separating Taiwan from the Philippines. This movement would leave southern Taiwan under cloudy skies after the rainfall clears, while central and northern regions would enjoy sunshine. The meteorologist cautioned that residents should prepare for substantial temperature fluctuations, with warm daytime conditions contrasting with notably cooler mornings and evenings. ★