People living in the north should expect a cold and rainy beginning to the Lunar New Year holiday as a cold front is scheduled to arrive on Friday, the Central Weather Bureau said yesterday.
Bureau forecaster Huang Treng-shi (黃椿喜) said the cold front was expected to bring rain to northern and central regions as well as lower temperatures nationwide. The mercury will drop to 14˚C in the north and 16˚C in central and southern regions.
Chances of showers would be high in the northeastern and eastern regions because of strong northeasterly seasonal winds, the bureau said. Cloudy skies are forecast for the rest of the country.
Meanwhile, those planning to clean house or shop before the holiday may want to take advantage of the current sunny weather, which is expected to last through Thursday.
Except for rain on the east coast, the bureau said the weather in the west would be relatively stable. Highs are likely to hit 27˚C in the north and 29˚C in the south.
In related news, a 4.8-magnitude earthquake occurred 18.7km east of the bureau’s Silin (西林) Observation Center in Hualien County at 11:25am yesterday.
The depth of the earthquake was 24.1km.
The highest intensity was felt in Jichi (磯崎), where the intensity measurement hit 3.0. Hualien City and seven other locations also registered an intensity of 2.0, while Changbin (長濱), Taitung County, and five other locations recorded an intensity of 1.0.
No injuries or damage were reported.
The earthquake came after a 6.3-magnitude in Hualien on Sunday afternoon.
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