Warm winds blowing down from the Central Mountain Range caused the temperature in Greater Kaohsiung to reach 37.6°C before noon yesterday, the highest temperature recorded since the observation station in Kaohsiung was established in 1932.
Statistics from the Central Weather Bureau (CWB) showed the new record was set at 11:49am. Previously, the highest temperature in the city was recorded on June 22, 1980, with the mercury climbing to 37.2°C.
Meanwhile, the temperature in Shinwu Township (新屋) in Taoyuan County reached 37.9°C yesterday, the highest temperature ever recorded in the county. Prior to yesterday, the highest temperature recorded in the town was 36.6°C, which was on July 21 this year.
Photo: CNA
The temperature in Hsinchu reached 37.5°C, and that in Greater Taichung and New Taipei City’s Banciao District (板橋) was 36.5°C and 36.3°C respectively.
The observation center in Chiayi recorded a temperature of 35.5°C yesterday afternoon, the highest seen in September since the center was built in 1968.
The unusual jump in temperature caused bureau forecaster Cheng Ming-dean (鄭明典) to comment on his Facebook page that he had never seen such a “purple” Taiwan in September. Purple is the color used by the bureau to mark an area with a temperature of more than 36°C. Cheng said last week that there is a chance that the high temperatures of this month could set a new national record.
Forecaster Lin Jhih-hui (林智暉) said the nation experienced wind from the east yesterday because Typhoon Kalmaegi was passing near the coast of southern Taiwan. A dry, warm, down-slope wind was created when this wind blew over the Central Mountain Range, causing a rise in temperature.
Former director of the bureau’s forecast center Daniel Wu (吳德榮) said the wind from the east prevented humidity from the ocean, that typically makes landfall before noon, from blowing onshore.
“In Taiwan, extremely high temperatures occur if there is a typhoon near the nation which causes an apparent change in the direction of the wind. The phenomenon, known as a ‘foehn wind,’ happens in places that are on the leeward side of a mountain,” Wu said.
According to the bureau’s weekly forecast, temperatures are to drop slightly after Friday, when high temperatures are likely to drop to 29°C because of rain.
Today, the bureau forecast that showers or thundershowers would be seen in the nation’s southeastern and southern regions. Cloudy to sunny weather is forecast for the rest of the nation.
Three batches of banana sauce imported from the Philippines were intercepted at the border after they were found to contain the banned industrial dye Orange G, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said yesterday. From today through Sept. 2 next year, all seasoning sauces from the Philippines are to be subject to the FDA’s strictest border inspection, meaning 100 percent testing for illegal dyes before entry is allowed, it said in a statement. Orange G is an industrial coloring agent that is not permitted for food use in Taiwan or internationally, said Cheng Wei-chih (鄭維智), head of the FDA’s Northern Center for
LOOKING NORTH: The base would enhance the military’s awareness of activities in the Bashi Channel, which China Coast Guard ships have been frequenting, an expert said The Philippine Navy on Thursday last week inaugurated a forward operating base in the country’s northern most province of Batanes, which at 185km from Taiwan would be strategically important in a military conflict in the Taiwan Strait. The Philippine Daily Inquirer quoted Northern Luzon Command Commander Lieutenant General Fernyl Buca as saying that the base in Mahatao would bolster the country’s northern defenses and response capabilities. The base is also a response to the “irregular presence this month of armed” of China Coast Guard vessels frequenting the Bashi Channel in the Luzon Strait just south of Taiwan, the paper reported, citing a
A total lunar eclipse, an astronomical event often referred to as a “blood moon,” would be visible to sky watchers in Taiwan starting just before midnight on Sunday night, the Taipei Astronomical Museum said. The phenomenon is also called “blood moon” due to the reddish-orange hue it takes on as the Earth passes directly between the sun and the moon, completely blocking direct sunlight from reaching the lunar surface. The only light is refracted by the Earth’s atmosphere, and its red wavelengths are bent toward the moon, illuminating it in a dramatic crimson light. Describing the event as the most important astronomical phenomenon
UNDER PRESSURE: The report cited numerous events that have happened this year to show increased coercion from China, such as military drills and legal threats The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) aims to reinforce its “one China” principle and the idea that Taiwan belongs to the People’s Republic of China by hosting celebratory events this year for the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II, the “retrocession” of Taiwan and the establishment of the UN, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said in its latest report to the Legislative Yuan. Taking advantage of the significant anniversaries, Chinese officials are attempting to assert China’s sovereignty over Taiwan through interviews with international news media and cross-strait exchange events, the report said. Beijing intends to reinforce its “one China” principle
RSS