Those hoping to take a trip to enjoy the snowfall on Hehuanshan (合歡山) should drive with care after the season's largest snowfall yesterday dumped 50cm to 60cm of snow on the mountain.
Forestry Bureau officials said the snowfall started near midnight and only stopped at around 5pm yesterday. Despite the sub-zero temperatures, visibility on the mountain remained clear, offering a rare treat to tourists already at the scene. However, motorists should be prepared for delays after heavy traffic was reported on the road leading up to the mountain.
Chen Chang-nan (陳昌男), an officer at the Nantou County Police Bureau, said that while last month brought only about 60cm of snow on Hehuanshan, yesterday's snowfall dumped nearly an equivalent amount of snow in less than a day.
Chen said officers would check that vehicles traveling to Hehuanshan are equipped with snow chains. Meanwhile, the road from Kunyang (昆陽) to Songshuei Hotel (松雪樓) will be converted into a pedestrian walkway.
Snowfall was also recorded on Yushan (玉山). The Central Weather Bureau said that yesterday brought about 9cm of snow, resulting in an accumulation of nearly 24cm this week.
A strong continental cold air mass is to bring pollutants to Taiwan from tomorrow, the Ministry of Environment said today, as it issued an “orange” air quality alert for most of the country. All of Taiwan except for Hualien and Taitung counties is to be under an “orange” air quality alert tomorrow, indicating air quality that is unhealthy for sensitive groups. In China, areas from Shandong to Shanghai have been enveloped in haze since Saturday, the ministry said in a news release. Yesterday, hourly concentrations of PM2.5 in these areas ranged from 65 to 160 micrograms per cubic meter (mg/m³), and pollutants were
Taiwan’s armed forces have established response protocols for a wide range of sudden contingencies, including the “Wan Chun Plan” to protect the head of state, the Ministry of Defense (MND) said today. After US President Donald Trump on Saturday launched a series of airstrikes in Venezuela and kidnapped Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, concerns have been raised as to whether China would launch a similar “decapitation strike” on Taiwan. The armed forces regularly coordinate with relevant agencies and practice drills to ensure preparedness for a wide range of scenarios, Vice Minister of National Defense Hsu Szu-chien (徐斯儉) told reporters before a
EVA Airways on Saturday said that it had suspended a pilot and opened an investigation after he allegedly lost his temper and punched the first officer several times as their plane was taxiing before takeoff at Los Angeles International Airport. According to a report published on Thursday by The Reporter, the incident occurred after the flight’s Malaysian first officer tried to warn the Taiwanese pilot, surnamed Wen (文), that he was taxiing faster than the speed limit of 30 knots (55.6kph). After alerting the pilot several times without response, the first officer manually applied the brakes in accordance with standard operating
Japanese Councilor Hei Seki (石平) on Wednesday said that he plans to visit Taiwan, saying that would “prove that Taiwan is an independent country and does not belong to China.” Seki, a member of the Japan Innovation Party, was born in Chengdu in China’s Sichuan Province and became a naturalized Japanese in 2007. He was elected to the House of Concilors last year. His views on the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) — espoused in a series of books on politics and history — prompted Beijing to sanction him, including barring Seki from traveling to China. Seki wrote on X that he intends