| Climate and Demographics |
Kaohsiung City is located in the southwestern part of the island of Taiwan. The city, which lies almost entirely south of the Tropic of Cancer, has a tropical monsoon climate, dry in the winter, hot and wet in the summer and autumn. Because Kaohsiung is next to the Taiwan Strait, climatic changes are not dramatic, thanks to the moderating effect of the ocean. Temperatures are generally lowest in January and February, with averages ranging from 19.9 to 21.5°C, and hottest from June to August, with averages of 28.3 to 29.5°C. The average temperature for the whole of 2010 was 25.1°C. For 11 months out of every year the average temperature exceeds 20°C. The lowest temperature recorded in January of 2011 in low-elevation areas of Kaohsiung was 10.9°C, which is exceptionally cold for this area. Kaohsiung City gets more sunshine than any other place in Taiwan, with an annual average of nearly 200 hours per month. Due to the effects of the southwest monsoon, the rainy season is concentrated in the period from May to September. From October through March, because the northeast monsoon is blocked by mountains, there is a dry season that lasts six months. There are typhoons each year in summer and autumn. According to Central Weather Bureau statistics, an average of three to four typhoons hit Taiwan annually, mainly in the period from July to September. These have always brought heavy rains, but with the increasing frequency of extreme weather events in recent years, precipitations exceeding 500 millimeters in a single day have been recorded. For example, during both Typhoon Morakot in 2009 and Typhoon Fanapi in 2010, Kaohsiung City experienced record-breaking rainfall.
Date source: Urban Development Bureau, Kaohsiung City Government
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