Did You Know? Taiwan Calls Off Entire Cities on “Typhoon Days” — And 23 Million People Refresh the Same Page to Find Out

Every summer, roughly a dozen typhoons spin toward Taiwan. And every time one gets close, the island runs a ritual so distinctly Taiwanese that most first-time visitors miss it entirely: the typhoon day announcement.

Here’s how it works. Each of Taiwan’s 22 cities and counties has its own mayor. When the Central Weather Administration forecasts a serious hit, each mayor independently decides whether to declare a tíngbān tíngkè (停班停課) — literally “work off, class off.” If they call it, every government office, every public school, and (by tradition, though not by law) most private companies in that county shut down for the day.

The 8pm Refresh Ritual

The official cutoff time is 20:00 the night before for a full-day closure, or 04:30 that morning if the storm arrives faster than expected. So around 7:55pm on a typhoon night, 23 million people all pull up the same page — the Directorate-General of Personnel Administration announcement site — and hit refresh.

Third-party apps and news livestreams pile onto it too. Cram schools text parents. Office group chats explode. Kids sleep with their fingers crossed.

The Rules the Mayors Actually Follow

It’s not vibes — there are thresholds. A county qualifies if the forecast shows sustained wind at Beaufort 10+ (~89 km/h), or rainfall over 200mm in 24 hours on mountain terrain (350mm on the plains). But those are minimums, not automatic triggers. The mayor still has to make the call, and they get judged on it.

In 2019, Kaohsiung’s then-mayor Han Kuo-yu became a national meme after the forecast fizzled and the city sat under sunny skies during his declared typhoon day. The nickname “typhoon-day mayor” stuck. Two years later, another mayor got roasted for the opposite mistake: keeping schools open during a storm that flooded classrooms.

Why This Matters if You’re Visiting

If you’re traveling to Taiwan during typhoon season (roughly July through October), a typhoon day can quietly upend your itinerary. Most museums, department stores, and non-essential businesses close. High-speed rail slows or suspends. Domestic flights and ferries to Penghu, Kinmen, and Green Island get canceled first. Even the night markets — usually unstoppable — pack up their tarps.

But here’s the twist: Taipei might be closed while Tainan is fully open, or vice versa. County-by-county autonomy means the announcement is local. So if you’re planning to bounce between cities, check each one separately the night before.

The takeaway: If you see a typhoon on the radar during your Taiwan trip, bookmark the DGPA page and set an 8pm reminder. That single refresh will tell you whether tomorrow is a beach day, a work day, or a “cook tea eggs and binge Taiwanese dramas” day. For most locals, option three is the low-key favorite.

Planning a summer visit? Our 2026 Taiwan Trip Planner breaks down the full typhoon-season playbook, plus how to pick shoulder dates that dodge the worst of it.