Temperatures are set to plummet to as low as 20oC as a frontal system reaches Taiwan today and tomorrow, the Central Weather Bureau (CWB) said yesterday.
CWB forecaster Lin Ding-yi (林定宜) said the first cold front this fall arrived yesterday afternoon and also brought rain to the north of the country. The cold front also caused yesterday’s daytime temperature to drop, with the CWB noting that the temperature in the Greater Taipei Area slid from a high of 33.8oC in the morning to 28oC at noon.
The bureau yesterday also issued a heavy rain alert to residents in northern and northeastern -regions as well as mountainous areas in central, southern and eastern Taiwan, as the interaction of the cold front and the northeast monsoon were poised to bring a substantial amount of rain to those regions.
As of 5:30pm, Shanjhuhu (山豬湖) and Huashan (華山) in Gukeng (古坑) townships in Yunlin County had received 116mm and 113mm of rainfall.
“The cold front is expected to continue affecting the weather nationwide Monday and Tuesday,” Lin said. “The nighttime temperature in the north could potentially drop to as low as 20oC.”
Lin said that people in central and southern Taiwan would feel the difference between the daytime and the nighttime temperature more acutely.
The northeast monsoon is expected to weaken by Wednesday, Lin said, although there could still be showers in eastern regions .
Lin added that the northeast monsoon and the cold front are sure signs of a more active weather system from the north, making it difficult for typhoons to form. Nevertheless, he said typhoons or tropical storms could still develop in the West Pacific in the next few months, advising the public to remain alert.
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