Offices, schools closed in southern Taiwan due to torrential rain

Regional governments in a swath of southern Taiwan closed offices and schools ​on Monday due to torrential rain, with ‌a typhoon expected to impact the north of the island at the end of ​the week.

A low pressure system has ​hovered over southern Taiwan for the past ⁠few days, bringing heavy rain and ​causing flooding.

The governments of the two ​cities of Kaohsiung and Tainan, home to more than four million people, ordered offices and schools ​closed, as did the counties of ​Pingtung and Chiayi and the mountainous eastern counties of ‌Taitung ⁠and Hualien.

The Kaohsiung government said it expected cumulative rainfall over the five-day period of the low-pressure system to exceed ​1.3 metres (4.3 ​feet), nearly ⁠half what the city typically expects in an entire year.

Taiwan's ​Central Weather Administration said separately ​that ⁠Typhoon Saudel, currently heading towards Japan's southern Okinawa region, is expected to pass by ⁠the ​northern part of Taiwan early ​on Friday before reaching the eastern coast of China.