TAIPEI – Storms dumped more than two meters of rain in parts of Taiwan over the past week, killing four people and triggering floods and landslides in central and southern areas, authorities said Monday.
Torrential rain has lashed swathes of the island since July 28, forcing several thousand people to seek shelter, damaging roads, and shuttering offices.
Maolin, a mountainous district in southern Taiwan, recorded 2.8 meters of rain since July 28, Central Weather Administration forecaster Li Ming-siang told AFP.
That’s more than Taiwan’s annual rainfall of 2.1 meters last year, according to the agency’s data.
The unusually heavy downpours were caused by a low-pressure system and strong southwesterly winds, Li said.
“The southwesterly winds have brought heavy moisture from the South China Sea to Taiwan,” Li said.
Li said southwesterly winds were normally brought by typhoons affecting the island and seasonal rain in May and June. AFP
This time it was caused by Typhoon Co-May pushing southwesterly winds further north as it swept past eastern Taiwan on its way to China, Li said, adding the rain was not linked to climate change.
The average rainfall across the island last month was the highest for the month of July since 1939, the CWA said. AFP
