TAIPEI (TVBS News) — A powerful weather front swept across northern Taiwan Wednesday (April 23), triggering heavy rain and thunderstorm warnings from the Central Weather Administration (CWA, 氣象署), Taiwan's national meteorological agency. Officials have issued urgent alerts to residents stretching from Keelung's north coast to Changhua County, warning of intense downpours, lightning strikes, and dangerous wind gusts that could cause flash flooding in vulnerable low-lying areas.
The heavy rain advisory, issued by the CWA at 8:15 a.m., covers eight major regions including Taiwan's capital Taipei, the populous New Taipei City, and the industrial centers of Taoyuan and Hsinchu. Authorities expect dangerous conditions to persist through the evening across Hsinchu County, Miaoli County, Taichung, and Changhua County. Emergency officials are urging residents to monitor official channels for updates and prepare emergency supplies as conditions could deteriorate rapidly.
Meanwhile, a separate real-time severe thunderstorm alert went into effect at 8:09 a.m. for six regions including the technology hub of Hsinchu and the manufacturing center of Taichung. The urgent warning, scheduled to remain active until 9:45 a.m., cautions residents about multiple hazards: torrential rainfall, dangerous lightning, powerful wind gusts exceeding 9 on the Beaufort scale (equivalent to 47-54 mph), potential hailstorms, and sudden river surges that could threaten communities.
Meteorologists predict this unstable weather system will continue through Thursday, bringing intermittent downpours and thunderstorms to northern and central Taiwan, along with the outlying islands of Kinmen and Matsu, which sit just kilometers from mainland China's coast. Eastern Taiwan faces only brief shower activity, while the southern regions and Penghu archipelago will likely see cloudy skies with possible afternoon thunderstorms developing over mountainous areas. Transportation officials warn that dense fog and low cloud formations could significantly reduce visibility in Kinmen and Matsu, potentially disrupting ferry and air services. ★
