Keelung Sees 3.4 Fewer Rainy Days Every Decade, But Total Rainfall Remains Unchanged
An 80-year analysis by the Keelung Weather Station shows the city experiences fewer rainy days, but overall rainfall volume hasn't dropped, indicating a shift towards more concentrated and extreme rain events due to climate change.
📋 Article Processing Timeline
- 📰 Published: April 16, 2026 at 13:47
- 🔍 Collected: April 16, 2026 at 14:01 (14 min after Published)
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: April 19, 2026 at 03:25 (61h 23m after Collected)
Central News Agency
(CNA Reporter Wang Chao-yu, Keelung 16th) According to nearly 80 years of observation data from the Keelung Weather Station, the residents' feeling that it "rains less often than before" is not an illusion. The number of rainy days in Keelung decreases by an average of about 3.4 days every 10 years. However, the total rainfall has not significantly decreased, indicating that the frequency of rain in Keelung is decreasing, but the intensity is becoming stronger.
On its Facebook fan page today, the Keelung Weather Station posted an analysis titled "Is Keelung the 'Rain Port' changing? 80-year climate change analysis by Keelung Weather Station." After analyzing complete observation data from 1947 to last year, it showed that Keelung's climatic average annual total precipitation is 3,698 mm, with a long-term trend of only a slight decrease, averaging about 24 mm less every 10 years.
However, the weather station pointed out that Keelung's rainfall fluctuates greatly from year to year. Extreme values often appear when significantly affected by individual systems like typhoons, northeast monsoons, and plum rains. For instance, the rainfall in 2022 reached 5,568.5 mm, but it dropped to 2,543.5 mm in 2023, a difference of over twofold.
Compared to the fluctuations in rainfall volume, the weather station noted that data clearly shows the perception of "fewer rainy days" in Keelung is not an illusion. It decreases by an average of about 3.4 days every 10 years. Based on this trend, compared to a century ago, Keelung gets about one month less of rain per year. Analyzing by season, the season with the most reduced rainy days is "spring," which has decreased by 11 days based on the century-long trend.
The weather station stated that despite this, Keelung still averages nearly 200 rainy days a year, meaning the title of "Rain Port" remains well-deserved. The total rainfall has not significantly decreased, implying that rainfall is tending to become more concentrated and intense. In recent years, extreme rainfall records have frequently been broken. On October 3, 2024, Typhoon Krathon hit Taiwan, bringing a single-day precipitation of 408 mm, setting a new record in the station's history. In November 2025, Typhoon Fung-wong brought 269 mm in a single day, also breaking the record for the highest cumulative rainfall for the month of November.
The analysis indicates that Keelung's rainfall pattern is shifting from "frequent and moderate" to "less frequent but strong intensity." This aligns with the theory of an intensified water cycle under the background of global warming (less light rain, more heavy rainstorms). It also serves as a reminder that we must accelerate upgrades in urban planning, drainage facilities, and disaster-prevention thinking to cope with the increasingly extreme climate risks of the future. (Editor: Lin Shu-hui) 1150416
(CNA Reporter Wang Chao-yu, Keelung 16th) According to nearly 80 years of observation data from the Keelung Weather Station, the residents' feeling that it "rains less often than before" is not an illusion. The number of rainy days in Keelung decreases by an average of about 3.4 days every 10 years. However, the total rainfall has not significantly decreased, indicating that the frequency of rain in Keelung is decreasing, but the intensity is becoming stronger.
On its Facebook fan page today, the Keelung Weather Station posted an analysis titled "Is Keelung the 'Rain Port' changing? 80-year climate change analysis by Keelung Weather Station." After analyzing complete observation data from 1947 to last year, it showed that Keelung's climatic average annual total precipitation is 3,698 mm, with a long-term trend of only a slight decrease, averaging about 24 mm less every 10 years.
However, the weather station pointed out that Keelung's rainfall fluctuates greatly from year to year. Extreme values often appear when significantly affected by individual systems like typhoons, northeast monsoons, and plum rains. For instance, the rainfall in 2022 reached 5,568.5 mm, but it dropped to 2,543.5 mm in 2023, a difference of over twofold.
Compared to the fluctuations in rainfall volume, the weather station noted that data clearly shows the perception of "fewer rainy days" in Keelung is not an illusion. It decreases by an average of about 3.4 days every 10 years. Based on this trend, compared to a century ago, Keelung gets about one month less of rain per year. Analyzing by season, the season with the most reduced rainy days is "spring," which has decreased by 11 days based on the century-long trend.
The weather station stated that despite this, Keelung still averages nearly 200 rainy days a year, meaning the title of "Rain Port" remains well-deserved. The total rainfall has not significantly decreased, implying that rainfall is tending to become more concentrated and intense. In recent years, extreme rainfall records have frequently been broken. On October 3, 2024, Typhoon Krathon hit Taiwan, bringing a single-day precipitation of 408 mm, setting a new record in the station's history. In November 2025, Typhoon Fung-wong brought 269 mm in a single day, also breaking the record for the highest cumulative rainfall for the month of November.
The analysis indicates that Keelung's rainfall pattern is shifting from "frequent and moderate" to "less frequent but strong intensity." This aligns with the theory of an intensified water cycle under the background of global warming (less light rain, more heavy rainstorms). It also serves as a reminder that we must accelerate upgrades in urban planning, drainage facilities, and disaster-prevention thinking to cope with the increasingly extreme climate risks of the future. (Editor: Lin Shu-hui) 1150416