TAIPEI: More than 800 mm rain fell in Dongshan township in the northeastern county of Yilan between Saturday and 11 am yesterday, the Central Weather Bureau reported.

The CWB, which issued a warning Saturday against torrential rain in the area, said that from October 10 midnight to 11 pm yesterday the six highest volumes of rainfall in Taiwan were recorded in Yilan County.

Dongshan's Hansi had the highest volume of 855 mm, followed by Nanao township with 728 mm, and Dongao and Sansing townships with more than 500 mm each, according to the latest CWB statistics.

The CWB maintained its torrential rain warning for the area yesterday, saying that the downpours were resulting from the convergence of Typhoon Parma's outer bands and the northeast monsoon.

Meanwhile, the Yilan County government announced school and office closures in Nanao township, taking effect from noon yesterday.

Torrential rains caused flooding and mudslides in Yilan on the weekend and prompted an evacuation advisory in townships that the Council of Agriculture (COA) has placed on red alert against mudslides.

A red alert was issued for 19 areas in 10 villages of the county yesterday, indicating that local administrations should evacuate people close to those areas.

The COA also issued a yellow alert for 107 other areas in Yilan and Hualien counties, warning local residents to take precautions against mudslides.

China Daily/CNA

(HK Edition 10/13/2009 page2)