It was sunny and warm for most of the island on Mother''s Day, and such balmy weather will continue for the next seven to ten days, according to the Central Weather Bureau. Now that would be welcoming news if it weren''t for the drought. Reservoirs in Central and Southern Taiwan are running low, and now all hopes are on the Southwest monsoon, which won''t arrive until the second half of May.

On this Mother’s Day, the sun was hanging high up in the sky. It was sunny and cloudy over the entire island. Only parts of the north and northeast had scattered brief showers. This kind of hot weather is expected to continue for the next seven to ten days, and that only bodes ill for the water supply in Central and Southern Taiwan.

Kuan Hsin-ping
CWB forecaster
The main reason is that although in the north of Taiwan, as far as today is concerned, there is a front over the sea in the north. But lately, the subtropical high pressure has been pretty strong, so it’s more difficult for the front to move towards Taiwan.

The high pressure system in the south is keeping the weather front at bay, leaving Taiwan at the mercy of the scorching sun. In the coming week, northern and eastern regions will see highs of 29 to 31 degrees. Central and southern regions may see temperatures reach 35 degrees. Precipitation, if any, will only come in the form of afternoon thundershowers in mountainous regions, and this will only add insult to injury to the ongoing drought. Baoshan Reservoir is only 12.3% full, Mingde Reservoir is at less than 10%, and Techi a mere 3.2%. The Central Weather Bureau said the next wave of heavy rainfall will not likely arrive until late May.

Kuan Hsin-ping
CWB forecaster
We still have to wait until the southwest monsoon is established, when there are more favorable conditions for upper and lower layers, which are conducive to extended and large-scale rainfall. Traditionally, this occurs in late May, so I am afraid we still have to wait until the end of May for the central and southern regions to get any inkling of rain.

Not only are the central and southern reservoirs running low, Shimen Reservoir, the main water supplier for Taoyuan, Hsinchu and New Taipei, is down to just 17.6% capacity. In response, Linkou and Taoyuan have extended their water pressure reduction period from nighttime to the entire day. District offices are planning to set up 23 temporary water supply stations in anticipation of the long haul. With the water situation becoming dire, it is battle station for all local governments on the island.