Severe Thunderstorms Flood Roads Across Keelung

A severe thunderstorm hit Keelung early in the morning, quickly turning several city roads into stretches of standing water and muddy runoff. Heavy rain began shortly after 6 a.m. along Taiwan’s northern coast, affecting central Keelung and Dawulun.

Large areas beside the East Coast Elevated Road were flooded after the roads could not drain the sudden downpour fast enough. Muddy water also covered the road around the Dawulun traffic circle. At one intersection near the elevated road, three roads meet, and passing cars and scooters sent water spraying across the area.

The Central Weather Administration issued severe thunderstorm warnings for Keelung, Taipei and New Taipei. The alert covered Keelung’s Zhongzheng, Qidu, Nuannuan, Ren’ai, Zhongshan, Anle and Xinyi districts, as well as Neihu, Shilin and Beitou in Taipei and Xizhi, Ruifang, Sanzhi, Shimen, Jinshan and Wanli in New Taipei.

The storm also complicated the morning commute to Taipei. Passengers traveling by highway bus faced congestion on National Freeways 1 and 3, while drivers reported rain so intense that windshield wipers could not keep up and visibility became blurred. The weather service said short-duration heavy rain and stronger gusts were affecting the Taipei-New Taipei-Keelung area, with more rain expected through the evening.