Severe Tropical Storm Mekkhala and Tropical Storm Higos have caused heavy flooding, damage to infrastructure, and large-scale evacuations across Japan and Taiwan.

強熱帶風暴 Mekkhala 與熱帶風暴 Higos 在日本與台灣造成嚴重淹水、基礎設施損壞以及大規模撤離。

The weather situation was driven by Severe Tropical Storm Mekkhala, which maintained wind gusts of 108kmh even after it was downgraded from a typhoon. Forecasters emphasized that Mekkhala and Tropical Storm Higos might merge in the Pacific. In Japan, the Meteorological Agency explained that the heavy rain was caused by the interaction between a stationary rain front and warm, moist air. Consequently, the government issued high-level alerts for landslides and river flooding, especially in the Kyushu, Shikoku, and Honshu regions.

此次天氣狀況是由強熱帶風暴 Mekkhala 引起，即使在從颱風降級後，陣風仍維持在每小時 108 公里。預報員強調，Mekkhala 與熱帶風暴 Higos 可能會在太平洋合併。在日本，氣象廳解釋，強降雨是由於滯留雨鋒與溫暖潮濕空氣的相互作用所造成。因此，政府針對土石流與河流氾濫發布了高階警報，特別是在九州、四國與本州地區。

These storms led to significant economic and institutional disruptions in Japan. The transportation sector saw over 200 cancelled flights and the closure of several rail lines and highways. Furthermore, industrial production was affected, as Toyota's Kyushu plant and Nissan both suspended operations. Military activities were also limited, including the cancellation of a V-22 Osprey flight during joint US-Japan exercises. Government spokesperson Minoru Kihara confirmed that four people were injured and several buildings were flooded in the Kagoshima region.

這些風暴導致日本在經濟與機構運作上出現嚴重中斷。交通部門有超過 200 個航班取消，數條鐵路與公路被封閉。此外，工業生產亦受到影響，豐田的九州工廠與日產均暫停運作。軍事活動亦受限制，包括美日聯合演習期間一次 V-22 Osprey 的飛行被取消。政府發言人木原稔確認，鹿兒島地區有四人受傷，且數棟建築物被淹沒。

At the same time, Taiwan experienced heavy rainfall even though Mekkhala did not make direct landfall. The outer parts of the storm brought torrential rain, with some southern districts recording up to 88cm of rain. As a result, schools and offices were closed for approximately 5 million people, and over 1,600 residents were evacuated. Infrastructure was also damaged, leading to the closure of a section of the north-south railway in Tainan. In Hualien county, nearly 200 people were evacuated due to the risk of a barrier lake breaking. However, authorities noted that this seasonal rain is necessary to refill Taiwanese reservoirs after dry winters.

與此同時，儘管 Mekkhala 未直接登陸，台灣仍遭遇強降雨。風暴外圍帶來豪雨，部分南部地區錄得高達 88 公分的雨量。結果，約 500 萬人的學校與辦公室關閉，超過 1,600 名居民被撤離。基礎設施亦受損，導致台南南北線部分路段封閉。在花蓮縣，由於堰塞湖潰堤風險，近 200 人被撤離。然而，當局指出，在乾旱的冬季之後，這種季節性降雨對於補充台灣水庫的水量是必要的。

The region remains on high alert as rain is expected to continue in Taiwan for the next week while the storms move across the Japanese islands.

由於預計下週台灣將持續降雨，且風暴正橫跨日本群島，該地區仍維持高度警戒。