Погода: Гаосюн, май

Taiwan forum threads are direct that late May marks the start of the plum rain season, bringing rain on roughly half the days through the following weeks, with fog at Alishan described as an almost daily occurrence even outside heavy rain spells. The more typical pattern posters described was sunny mornings followed by afternoon thunderstorms lasting an hour or two before clearing again, rather than sustained all-day washouts. One specific frustration flagged repeatedly: the famous Alishan sunrise is genuinely hit-and-miss on foggy mornings, so visitors chasing it were advised to build in a backup morning if possible, and to always carry a proper rain jacket or poncho.

Forum posters describe August in Kaohsiung as basically a daily heatwave, with one local citing temperatures around 30-38C, and posters generally naming July and August as Taiwan's hottest months overall, typically 33-36C with high humidity. Posters consistently flag August through October as typhoon season, a real factor to track for any Kaohsiung trip this time of year. Posters describe rain as occurring periodically rather than daily, though June through August sees the heaviest rainfall totals of the year. Posters are direct that August isn't the ideal weather month, but note millions of visitors still come to Taiwan every summer regardless. Posters generally rate August as hot, humid and typhoon-watchful, but still genuinely travel-friendly for Kaohsiung.

Forum posters describe Kaohsiung in February as warm and dry enough that jackets weren't needed day or night on at least one recent visit, consistent with the broader pattern posters give for southern Taiwan generally - mild winters, typically 15-20C, not the rainy season though a stray shower is always possible. The one scheduling wrinkle worth planning around: Chinese New Year (early-to-mid February) brings sold-out public transport and higher accommodation rates, but posters call it worth the hassle for the festive atmosphere, which they say isn't matched at any other time of year.