{
  "id": 2952396,
  "title": "Offices, schools closed in southern Taiwan due to torrential rain",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/24/offices-schools-closed-in-southern-taiwan-due-to-torrential-rain-2952396",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-08-24T05:14:13.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Free Malaysia Today",
    "slug": "free-malaysia-today-freemalays",
    "url": "https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/world/2026/08/24/offices-schools-closed-in-southern-taiwan-due-to-torrential-rain-2"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Heavy rains from Typhoon Saudel forced offices and schools to close across southern Taiwan on Monday, disrupting some rail services, though major chipmaker TSMC's operations remained unaffected. The low-pressure system had been hovering over the southern part of the island for several days, leading to significant flooding. The cities of Kaohsiung and Tainan, along with the counties of Pingtung, Chiayi, and the mountainous eastern counties of Taitung and Hualien, declared a closure of offices and schools due to the impending weather. Kaohsiung officials estimated that the cumulative rainfall over a five-day period would surpass 1.3 meters, nearly half of what the city usually receives in a year. Despite the heavy rain, TSMC completed its standard heavy rain preparation procedures at all its Taiwan factories and reported that they were operating normally. The railways also experienced disruptions on the main east coast line, with express services cancelled and local trains running only if weather conditions permitted. The Taitung county chief warned residents on her Facebook page to avoid going outside due to the severe weather. The central weather administration stated that Typhoon Saudel, currently heading towards Japan's southern Okinawa region, was expected to pass by the northern part of Taiwan early on Friday before making landfall on the eastern coast of China.",
  "summary": "A low-pressure system hovers over the island, bringing heavy rain and flooding as officials brace for Typhoon Saudel later this week.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 4,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Free Malaysia Today",
        "title": "Torrential rain forces school, office closures across southern Taiwan",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/24/torrential-rain-forces-school-office-closures-across-southern-taiwan",
        "published": "2026-08-24T01:50:44.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "The Japan News by The Yomiuri Shimbun",
        "title": "Offices, Schools Closed in Southern Taiwan Due to Torrential Rain",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/24/offices-schools-closed-in-southern-taiwan-due-to-torrential-rain",
        "published": "2026-08-24T03:02:00.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Business Recorder",
        "title": "Offices, schools closed in southern Taiwan due to torrential rain",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/24/offices-schools-closed-in-southern-taiwan-due-to-torrential-rain-2960366",
        "published": "2026-08-24T06:33:16.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}