Yilan County Closes Schools and Offices Due to Forecasted Heavy Rainfall

Authorities in Taiwan issue closures as extreme weather warnings are posted for several regions.

In Taiwan, Yilan County has announced the closure of schools and offices for Tuesday, October 21st, in anticipation of significant rainfall. This decision was made by the county government on Monday, October 20th, following advisories from the Central Weather Administration (CWA).

The CWA's forecast indicates that Yilan County could experience rainfall ranging from 200 to 400 millimeters in its low-lying areas and between 300 and 490 millimeters in its mountainous regions from Monday evening through Tuesday evening.

Meanwhile, in Taipei, the city government stated that most schools would operate as usual on Tuesday. However, exceptions were made for four schools located in the city's mountainous districts. This decision was based on CWA forecasts predicting 150-250 mm of rain in Taipei's low-lying areas and 250-450 mm in its mountainous zones.

As of Monday evening, the Anpu weather station in Taipei's Beitou District had recorded the highest rainfall nationwide, totaling 412 mm. The ten weather stations reporting the most accumulated rainfall were situated in Taipei and New Taipei.

The CWA issued an extreme rainfall advisory, updated at 5:15 p.m. on Monday, warning that the northern coast of Keelung, Taipei, New Taipei, and Yilan County were likely to face extremely heavy or torrential rain. Similar conditions were anticipated for Taoyuan and Hsinchu counties, with heavy rain possible in Miaoli, Nantou, and Hualien counties. These advisories were expected to remain in effect until Tuesday night.

The current heavy rainfall is attributed to the interaction between seasonal northeasterly winds and the outer bands of Tropical Storm Fengshen. This weather pattern is projected to continue through Tuesday, with the northeasterly winds expected to persist, potentially prolonging the rainfall.

Taiwan's regulations for suspending offices and classes due to natural disasters outline specific criteria. These include the predicted passage of a tropical storm or typhoon's storm radius within four hours, accompanied by sustained winds of Beaufort scale 7 or gusts of scale 10. Suspensions are also permitted if 24-hour rainfall is forecast to reach 200 mm in mountainous areas and 350 mm in low-lying areas (with specific regions like Tainan, Pingtung County, Hualien County, and Yilan County having the 350 mm threshold), or if disasters have recently occurred or are imminent.

Ultimately, the decision to suspend operations rests with the respective local governments.