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.
A strong continental cold air mass is to bring pollutants to Taiwan from tomorrow, the Ministry of Environment said today, as it issued an “orange” air quality alert for most of the country. All of Taiwan except for Hualien and Taitung counties is to be under an “orange” air quality alert tomorrow, indicating air quality that is unhealthy for sensitive groups. In China, areas from Shandong to Shanghai have been enveloped in haze since Saturday, the ministry said in a news release. Yesterday, hourly concentrations of PM2.5 in these areas ranged from 65 to 160 micrograms per cubic meter (mg/m³), and pollutants were
Taiwan’s armed forces have established response protocols for a wide range of sudden contingencies, including the “Wan Chun Plan” to protect the head of state, the Ministry of Defense (MND) said today. After US President Donald Trump on Saturday launched a series of airstrikes in Venezuela and kidnapped Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, concerns have been raised as to whether China would launch a similar “decapitation strike” on Taiwan. The armed forces regularly coordinate with relevant agencies and practice drills to ensure preparedness for a wide range of scenarios, Vice Minister of National Defense Hsu Szu-chien (徐斯儉) told reporters before a
EVA Airways on Saturday said that it had suspended a pilot and opened an investigation after he allegedly lost his temper and punched the first officer several times as their plane was taxiing before takeoff at Los Angeles International Airport. According to a report published on Thursday by The Reporter, the incident occurred after the flight’s Malaysian first officer tried to warn the Taiwanese pilot, surnamed Wen (文), that he was taxiing faster than the speed limit of 30 knots (55.6kph). After alerting the pilot several times without response, the first officer manually applied the brakes in accordance with standard operating
Japanese Councilor Hei Seki (石平) on Wednesday said that he plans to visit Taiwan, saying that would “prove that Taiwan is an independent country and does not belong to China.” Seki, a member of the Japan Innovation Party, was born in Chengdu in China’s Sichuan Province and became a naturalized Japanese in 2007. He was elected to the House of Concilors last year. His views on the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) — espoused in a series of books on politics and history — prompted Beijing to sanction him, including barring Seki from traveling to China. Seki wrote on X that he intends
RSS