Pingtung: Torrential rain driven by the peripheral circulation of a tropical storm and strong southwest winds has forced the closure of schools and offices on Friday in Pingtung County and a third of Kaohsiung's districts, according to local authorities.
According to Focus Taiwan, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) continued to issue heavy rain warnings for Pingtung, with torrential rain expected within the next 24 hours. As a result, schools and workplaces across the county will be suspended on Friday, the county government announced on Thursday.
The Kaohsiung City Government has also declared that schools and offices will be closed on Friday in 10 of its 38 districts. This includes mountainous areas such as Taoyuan, Namasia, Jiasian, Liouguei, and Maolin, where 24-hour accumulated rainfall is anticipated to reach the 200 mm threshold for closure.
In addition, due to expected rainfall and risks of flash flooding from sudden heavy downpours, work and classes will be suspended in five districts adjacent to mountainous areas, including Meinong, Cishan, Neimen, Shanlin, and Tianliao, the city government stated.
All other cities and counties across Taiwan will maintain normal work and class schedules on Friday, as per local governments.
The outer bands of tropical storm Mekkhala, along with strong southwest winds, brought heavy rain across most of Taiwan on Thursday, resulting in localized school and office closures.
The CWA has warned that heavy showers and thunderstorms are anticipated in southern Taiwan on Friday, with a high likelihood of torrential rain or localized extreme heavy rainfall.
Meanwhile, central and northern regions of Taiwan are expected to experience brief showers or thunderstorms, with a possibility of heavy rain or localized torrential downpours, on Friday, according to the CWA.