It’s now springtime in Taiwan, but this year’s weather has been unusual. If you were expecting a wet spring this year, the Central Weather Bureau is going to rain on your parade.
Video script:
Scenes of heavy rain are typical throughout most of Taiwan’s rainy season starting in mid-spring. But this year, Taiwan may see fewer heavy rains as springtime rainfall has hit a 20-year low.
Director of the Weather Forecast Center at the Central Weather Bureau Lu Kuo-chen (呂國臣) says that the rainfall in February and March was below normal, and cumulative spring rainfall has only reached 60% of the yearly average. This makes it the fourth lowest spring rainfall on record since 1951. He adds that the last record-setting dry year was in 2002, more than 20 years ago. He urges the public to make every effort to conserve water.
Lu says the 3-year La Niña period will end this spring, and will likely develop into an El Niño event this fall or winter. Overall, Lu expects that rainfall during the summer will be between normal and low, while temperatures are expected to be slightly higher than average. Lu says the rainy season will be delayed this year and may not start until late May. With Taiwan’s water reservoirs also at low levels, everyone is hoping this year that when it rains, it pours.