The average annual rainfall in southern Taiwan in 2022 was 1,299 millimeters, the lowest level in 30 years, the Central Weather Bureau (CWB) said Friday.
The total — recorded in the southern Taiwan weather stations in Tainan, Pingtung County and Taitung County — also represented a 40 percent decrease compared to the 30-year average of 2,045.5 mm, the CWB said at a press conference.
According to Lu Kuo-chen (???), director of the CWB’s Weather Forecast Center, the record-low rainfall in the south could be attributed in part to fewer typhoons.
Lu said the typhoons that did bring rainfall to Taiwan this year primarily affected northern parts of the country, which saw a much wetter year compared with 2021.
The CWB’s weather stations in Keelung, Yilan County, and in Taipei’s Yangmingshan national park recorded significantly higher rainfall compared with previous years, Lu added.
Meanwhile, the average temperature across Taiwan this year was 24.1 degrees Celsius, the 12th warmest in history, Lu said, adding that the global average temperature between January and November was 14.86 degrees, up 0.86 degrees from the century average and the sixth highest since 1880.
Looking ahead, Taiwan could see a slightly drier spring following a weak La Nina event set to conclude soon, Lu said.
Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel