Kaohsiung Sees Torrential Rain; Roadside Trees Toppled 中南部多縣市大雨特報 甚至出現路樹倒塌

The Central Weather Bureau issued heavy rain alerts for Taichung and areas to the south on May 11 and a torrential rain alert for Kaohsiung. The rain toppled roadside trees in Kaohsiung, and a section of the Southern Cross-Island Highway will be closed from the 14th to the 16th as a precaution.

Torrential rain pummeled Kaohsiung on the morning of May 11. The rain was accompanied by thunder. Office workers got wet during their commutes, and people had to make detours after roadside trees toppled, possibly after being struck by lightning. Water accumulated on several roads. Over in Tainan, parts of Anding District flooded. The accumulated rainfall over the main access road to Sangu Borough in Qigu District was 20 centimeters after a torrential rainfall lasting half an hour. The water ebbed before noon.

Huang Hsien-li, Chief, Sangu Borough, Qigu District, Tainan City: “It primarily drained into Sangu River. The terrain over there is low-lying, so it floods any time there is a typhoon or heavy rain.”

A convection cloud system is vigorously developing, bringing short but intense showers. The Central Weather Bureau issued a torrential rain alert for Kaohsiung on May 11. It said Taichung and areas to the south up to Pingtung, as well as Nantou, may see local showers, lighting, and gusts. The weather will remain unstable over the next several days, and the first plum rain front of the season will arrive over the weekend.

Liu Pei-teng, Forecaster, Central Weather Bureau: “On Saturday and Sunday, the plum rain front will be directly over Taiwan. The intensity will gradually slow down and the front will gradually and slowly approach Taiwan. The rainfall will become more obvious starting on Thursday night to Friday. The plum rain will be very obvious on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.”

The Southern Cross-Island Highway was reopened to traffic at the beginning of the month. The Directorate General of Highways' Jiasian Construction Section assessed the weather forecast and determined that torrential rain may fall over mountainous sections. It is therefore closing the Meishankou to Xiangyang section between May 14 and 16 as a precaution. Machines will be on standby should repairs be needed and personnel will be sent to patrol the road.

高雄一早大雨下不停，還伴隨打雷聲，上班族滿身濕，還有人得繞路走，因為民生路上有行道樹疑似雷擊後倒地，橫跨兩個車道，鳥松區神農路上也出現積水。台南安定區也有淹水，七股區三股里則因半小時內暴雨不斷，當地主要聯外道路一度積水20公分深，幸好中午前，水已慢慢退去。

台南七股區三股里長黃仙立表示：「（主要排水是）三股溪，那麼因為那邊地勢比較低，導致一旦颱風大雨的時候，那邊都一定會淹水。」

對流雲系發展旺盛，易有短延時強降雨，氣象局針對高雄發布豪雨特報，也提醒民眾，臺中以南至屏東，以及南投有局部大雨也要注意雷擊及強陣風，未來幾天都是天氣不穩的狀況，甚至週末會迎來第一波梅雨。

氣象局預報員劉沛滕說：「週六、週日這兩天，梅雨鋒面是直接在台灣上空的，雖然雨勢是逐漸地慢慢，梅雨鋒面是逐漸地慢慢接近台灣，但是降雨其實從週四晚上、週五就越來越明顯，一定要特別注意週五、週六、週日，整個雷雨是非常明顯的狀況。」

月初才通車的南橫公路，公路總局甲仙工務段經研判氣象預報情資，預估山區可能出現豪雨等級雨勢，梅山口到向陽段，將從14日到16日進行預警性封閉，將進駐搶修機具待命且派保全巡視，呼籲用路人不要前往。