Thanks to the influence of the southwestern monsoon, Southern Taiwan was pummeled by persistent downpours over the weekend. Major roads in Kaohsiung, Tainan and Pingtung were flooded overnight on Saturday due to thunderstorms. According to the Central Weather Bureau, the island will be under a low pressure system in the upcoming week, leading to unstable weather islandwide. Rain will continue in the south, and residents are advised to prepare for possible flooding.

Thunder can be heard in the distance against the heavy downpour. It is an especially stormy night here in Kaohsiung. It’s almost as if a typhoon had arrived.

The city’s drainage system simply cannot keep up with the heavy precipitation. What appears to be a stream here is an intersection near a lake. At the crack of dawn, here at the junction of Zhonghua and Kaixuan road, the street is still submerged in inches of rain. Traffic comes to a crawl as motorists take extra caution so that their vehicles don’t break down.

Good thing the rain did taper off in the morning, and the floodwater subsided. Still, for early-rising shop owners in the area, the frightening image of the heavy rain is still fresh in their minds.

Meanwhile in Tainan, a culvert near Bao’an Railway Station was submerged under three meters of floodwater. In response, authorities had to close off roads in the area as an emergency measure. Many parts of the city were also flooded. Here some residential buildings have been flooded, despite all having installed flood barriers.

Due to persistent heavy rains, both Tainan and Kaohsiung city governments announced on Saturday night that Sunday would be a day off. However, in neighboring Pingtung County, the day was not called off, and residents in some ten townships still had to brave the storm to carry out their daily routines.