Kaohsiung faces continuous heavy downpours from front and airflow

Kaohsiung, Taiwan, is bracing for a relentless onslaught of heavy rainfall as a stationary front combines with a strong southwest airflow, creating a volatile weather pattern. The Meteorological Agency has issued severe weather warnings, including extreme rain advisories for mountainous regions and heavy rain advisories for plains, anticipating significant accumulations that could reach up to 700 millimeters by Sunday.

The city is particularly vulnerable, with 119 potential landslide streams and 11 large-scale landslide risk zones identified. As a proactive measure to ensure public safety, the Civil Affairs Bureau completed the preemptive evacuation of 1,902 individuals from five districts, including Liugui, Jiaxian, Namaxia, Taoyuan, and Maolin, by Saturday night. This evacuation aims to safeguard lives and property against the imminent threat of landslides and flooding.

Residents are urged to remain vigilant as the weather system's unpredictability, coupled with intensifying convection, could lead to sudden downpours. The city government is emphasizing the potential for disaster, especially in the mountainous areas where concentrated rainfall could trigger landslides and flash floods. Citizens are advised to monitor weather updates and exercise extreme caution, particularly in low-lying areas prone to waterlogging and flooding, and in mountainous regions susceptible to landslides, rockfalls, and rising water levels in streams.