Spring rain brought by a cold front that arrived on Monday night, aided by cloud-seeding operations, could add more than 16.6 million tonnes of rainwater to the reservoirs in northern and central Taiwan, the Water Resources Agency said yesterday.
The front’s arrival prompted it to begin cloud-seeding operations at 9:40pm on Monday — over Shihmen Reservoir (石門水庫) in Taoyuan, Second Baoshan Reservoir (寶二水庫) in Hsinchu County, Yongheshan Reservoir (永和山水庫), Minde Reservoir (明德水庫) and Liyutan Reservoir (鯉魚潭水庫) in Miaoli County — and again at 1:40am yesterday, the agency said.
More cloud-seeding operations might be launched if the weather permits, it added.
Photo: Lee Jung-ping, Taipei Times
Although Taiwan is in its traditional dry season, an increase in demand for water for farm irrigation and disease prevention measures has exacerbated water shortages.
Between 8pm on Monday and 8am yesterday, reservoirs in the nation’s north and center collected 3.27 million tonnes of rainwater, the agency said.
The rain on Monday night was typical spring rain because it mainly fell on the northwest, as rain brought by the northeast monsoon mainly affects the northeast, Central Weather Bureau Deputy Director-General Cheng Ming-dean (鄭明典) posted on Facebook.
The rain could expand to southern Taiwan, but with reduced intensity before more cold air arrives, he said.
Starting today, the nation would be under the influence of the northeast monsoon, the bureau said.
Temporary showers are forecast for the east coast as well as mountainous areas in the north, it said.
Tomorrow’s temperatures are to rebound as the northeast monsoon weakens and rain eases, the bureau said.
Cloudy skies are forecast for most of the nation, except for the east coast and mountainous areas in the north, where scattered showers are expected, it said.
Temperatures in the north and northeast of the nation are expected to drop again on Friday and Saturday with the rise of the northeast monsoon and rains from southern China, which would bring showers in the nation’s north and center, the east coast and mountainous areas in the south, it said.
The influence of the northeast monsoon would continue through Monday next week, although temporary showers are forecasted for the north as well as Hualien and Taitung counties, while the rest of the nation would see cloudy to sunny skies, the bureau said.
Eight Chinese naval vessels and 24 military aircraft were detected crossing the median line of the Taiwan Strait between 6am yesterday and 6am today, the Ministry of National Defense said this morning. The aircraft entered Taiwan’s northern, central, southwestern and eastern air defense identification zones, the ministry said. The armed forces responded with mission aircraft, naval vessels and shore-based missile systems to closely monitor the situation, it added. Eight naval vessels, one official ship and 36 aircraft sorties were spotted in total, the ministry said.
INCREASED CAPACITY: The flights on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays would leave Singapore in the morning and Taipei in the afternoon Singapore Airlines is adding four supplementary flights to Taipei per week until May to meet increased tourist and business travel demand, the carrier said on Friday. The addition would raise the number of weekly flights it operates to Taipei to 18, Singapore Airlines Taiwan general manager Timothy Ouyang (歐陽漢源) said. The airline has recorded a steady rise in tourist and business travel to and from Taipei, and aims to provide more flexible travel arrangements for passengers, said Ouyang, who assumed the post in July last year. From now until Saturday next week, four additional flights would depart from Singapore on Monday, Wednesday, Friday
The Ministry of National Defense yesterday reported the return of large-scale Chinese air force activities after their unexplained absence for more than two weeks, which had prompted speculation regarding Beijing’s motives. China usually sends fighter jets, drones and other military aircraft around the nation on a daily basis. Interruptions to such routine are generally caused by bad weather. The Ministry of National Defense said it had detected 26 Chinese military aircraft in the Taiwan Strait over the previous 24 hours. It last reported that many aircraft on Feb. 25, when it spotted 30 aircraft, saying Beijing was carrying out another “joint combat
Taiwan successfully defended its women’s 540 kilogram title and won its first-ever men’s 640 kg title at the 2026 World Indoor Tug of War Championships in Taipei yesterday. In the women’s event, Taiwan’s eight-person squad reached the final following a round-robin preliminary round and semifinals featuring teams from Ukraine, Japan, Thailand, Vietnam, the Basque Country and South Korea. In the finals, they swept the Basque team 2-0, giving the team composed mainly of National Taiwan Normal University students and graduates its second championship in a row, and its fourth in five years. Team captain
RSS