The nation experienced its warmest September on record this year due to a strong high-pressure air system over the Pacific Ocean, with eight of the nation’s weather observation stations reporting record-high temperatures last month, the Central Weather Bureau said yesterday.
While the month ended yesterday, statistics from the bureau showed that by Sunday, the average temperature had reached 29.07°C, exceeding the monthly average of 27.24°C established between 1981 and 2010.
The bureau’s statistics also showed that eight of 13 weather observation stations reported record-high temperatures last month. The station in Taipei recorded a temperature of 37.8°C on Sept. 16, breaking the previous record set on Sept. 11, 1946. Meanwhile, Greater Kaohsiung recorded a high of 37.6°C on Sept. 16.
Temperatures in Hsinchu and New Taipei City’s Banciao District (板橋) set new records three times last month, reaching 37.5°C and 38.8°C respectively, the bureau said, adding that the latter was also the nation’s highest recorded temperature last month.
The strong influence of a high-pressure air system over the Pacific Ocean delayed the arrival of the first frontal system in the fall, which did not come until Thursday last week, it added.
The bureau said the nation experienced an abnormally hot summer this year.
The average temperature in July this year was 29.98°C, higher than the previous average of 28.82°C.
Bureau records show that the average temperature in August over previous years was 28.52°C. However, this year, the average for August climbed to 29.22°C.
By yesterday, Taipei had 61 days this year with temperatures exceeding 35°C, surpassing the previous record of 53 days set in 1991, the bureau said.
If the bureau considers only those days with temperatures above 36°C, Hsinchu and Chiayi also broke their previous records by having 11 days and five days respectively meeting the criteria this year.
However, the bureau said that the nation was not alone in experiencing unusually high temperatures.
Data from the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration showed that the global average temperature this year has broken records set in 1880 each month since April, except in July. The average oceanic temperature has also hit record highs for the four months from May to August.
The global average temperature from January to August was also the third-highest in climate history, exceeded only by averages set in 1998 and 2010, US data showed.
Cheng Ming-dean (鄭明典), director of the weather forecasting center at the Central Weather Bureau, said the phenomenon reflects the long-term trend of global warming, which is likely to interact with the arctic oscillation atmospheric phenomenon near the north pole and further reduce temperatures in middle-latitude regions this winter.
“The arctic oscillation occurs when the west wind in the northern hemisphere weakens, causing cold air to move south and leading to unusually low temperatures in winter,” he said.
Cheng also said that the west wind weakens because of global warming, which also causes the ice in arctic regions to melt further this year.
NATIONAL SECURITY: Authorities are working to confirm the identities of the military personnel involved and investigating possible illegal conduct and regulatory violations Authorities are probing possible national security implications after Kinmen police and immigration officers on Sunday found a Chinese woman allegedly posing as a tourist while engaging in prostitution involving more than 10 military personnel. The woman, surnamed Chen (陳), has since been deported, authorities said, adding that investigators are still working to confirm the identities of those implicated, as the records only listed code names and aliases. The case stemmed from a report received by the Kinmen District Prosecutors’ Office on Friday last week from the Jinhu Precinct of the Kinmen County Police Bureau. On Sunday, police, along with the National Immigration
GLOBALGIVING: ‘ Caving to external pressure is not acceptable for an organization that has cultivated justice reform and human rights for 30 years,’ one NGO said A slew of non-government organizations (NGOs) have withdrawn from the GlobalGiving fundraising platform after it announced it would use “Chinese Taipei” instead of “Taiwan” from next month. The Taiwan Good Rice Association wrote on Facebook on Friday that it was informed on April 28 via a teleconference call of the change, which was made because the platform wanted to operate in China. Taiwan Good Rice is to terminate all cooperative relationships with GlobalGiving in response to the platform’s “unilateral and non-negotiable” decision to remove references to Taiwan, the NGO said. “Taiwan is in the official name of Taiwan Good Rice Association and the
STAY COOL: The HPA recommended that people stay hydrated, use air-conditioning or fans while indoors, wear loose-fitting clothes and walk in the shade while outdoors Employers must implement measures such as installing cooling equipment, and providing drinking water and rest breaks for outdoor workers starting from Monday next week, the Taipei Department of Labor said on Sunday. Employers who fail to comply could face fines of NT$30,000 to NT$300,000 under the Occupational Safety and Health Act (職業安全衛生法), the department said. Businesses in Taipei employing fewer than 100 workers, as well as registered self-employed workers with labor insurance coverage, could receive on-site assessments and guidance from occupational safety consultants to help them apply for central government subsidies to implement or improve heat-protection measures, it said. Under the Ministry of
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairwoman Cheng Li-wun (鄭麗文) yesterday briefed her party’s Central Standing Committee regarding her scheduled visit to the US between Monday next week and June 16, saying that her purpose would be to persuade the US that the Republic of China (ROC) Constitution was a “one China” constitution that would foster stable and peaceful cross-strait relations. The ROC Constitution is the most important defense for all Taiwanese citizens, as it upholds our democracy and has contributed to our robust economy, which aligns with international and US interests, she said. “We would not be troublemakers and drag the US under,”
RSS