Typhoon Bavi to Trigger Land Warning Tomorrow Morning! Will Taipei City Declare Typhoon Holiday on 7/10? Chi-Mai-an Reveals: Announcement at 'This Time' with One Key Principle

Typhoon Bavi is intensifying as it approaches Taiwan, with the Central Weather Bureau forecasting Friday and Saturday to be the peak days for wind and rain. The Bureau expects to issue a sea warning at 2:30 PM today and a land warning early tomorrow morning, assuming no significant path changes.

Regarding work and school suspension decisions, several local governments have revised their typhoon response criteria this year. Keelung City has become the first in Taiwan to lower its 24-hour predicted rainfall threshold from 350mm to 200mm and introduced a zonal response mechanism. The mayors of Taipei, New Taipei, Keelung, and Taoyuan emphasized synchronized communication across the metropolitan area. Taipei Mayor Chi-Mai-an stated the decision will be announced by 8 PM tonight, maintaining the principle of full-day suspension unless extreme weather conditions arise.

Typhoon Bavi is expected to bring the strongest impacts on Friday and Saturday. The Central Weather Bureau will issue sea warnings 24 hours before the storm enters within 100km of Taiwan’s waters and land warnings 18 hours before landfall, updating data every 3 hours and position every hour to ensure at least 18 hours of preparation time for residents.

Keelung City, with 95% of its area on slopes, faces higher risks of landslides and localized flooding during heavy rain. To enhance safety, the city introduced a new policy in March lowering the rainfall threshold to 200mm and implementing a zonal, tiered alert system to protect commuters and students.

The four mayors reaffirmed their commitment to coordinated decision-making. Mayor Chi-Mai-an emphasized that the announcement will be made by 8 PM after consultation with the other three cities, maintaining the full-day suspension policy unless exceptional conditions occur. New Taipei Mayor Hou Yu-ih stated the city’s disaster response center will be upgraded to Level 1, ensuring constant communication among the four cities. Keelung Mayor Hsieh Kuo-liang confirmed prior coordination with Taipei and affirmed that decisions will remain synchronized.

It is important to distinguish between heavy rain alerts and typhoon suspension policies. While the Central Weather Bureau’s heavy rain warnings are meteorological alerts, local government suspension decisions are based on broader risk assessments. Typhoon suspensions consider wind speed (average 7 Beaufort or gusts of 10), rainfall, and infrastructure disruptions. In contrast, heavy rain suspensions are based solely on rainfall volume and local flood resilience.

Rainfall classifications: 200mm in 24 hours is 'heavy rain', 350mm is 'extremely heavy rain', and 500mm is 'torrential rain'. Current thresholds by region:

- Taipei, New Taipei, Tainan, Kaohsiung (plains), Pingtung, Yilan, Hualien: 350mm (extremely heavy rain) - Taoyuan, Hsinchu County, Miaoli, Taichung, Nantou: 200mm in mountainous areas, 350mm in plains - Keelung, Lienchiang County: 200mm regardless of terrain

Meeting the rainfall threshold does not automatically trigger a suspension; the final decision rests with local leaders after assessing actual or potential disaster risks.

For workers, if a suspension is declared, labor regulations provide clear guidelines. On a regular workday, employees in suspended areas may stay home without penalty. Employers may withhold wages but cannot treat it as absenteeism, tardiness, or force leave deductions. Full attendance bonuses must not be reduced. If employees come to work despite the suspension, employers should consider offering a daily bonus or transportation allowance (non-mandatory).

If a typhoon day falls on an employee’s scheduled day off and the employer requires attendance, standard overtime rules for rest days apply. For remote workers, since there is no physical commuting risk, they are expected to work from home unless special circumstances are negotiated.

Employees may also refrain from work if their workplace operates normally but their residence or essential commute route is under suspension. Employers cannot penalize such absences.

The latest suspension updates can be found on the Executive Yuan’s Personnel Administration Bureau website. During heavy rain, avoid flooded areas and drive cautiously.