The nation is likely to see a warm and dry winter, the Central Weather Bureau said yesterday.
Temperatures from next month to February are likely to be higher than average, whereas rainfall over the period is likely to be between average and less than average, Weather Forecast Center Deputy Director Shang Chun-sheng (商俊盛) said.
“A weak La Nina effect is developing in the Pacific Ocean,” Shang said. “We estimate that the temperature this winter will be between the average and higher end of the spectrum, based on the data we have collected and the forecasts of other nations,” he said.
However, people still need to beware of cold snaps, which can pose risks to health, the bureau said.
The bureau also reviewed the weather in the fall, which began in September and is to end this month.
Due to an area of high pressure in the Pacific Ocean and the activity of typhoons, the nation has experienced a hotter and wetter fall this year, Shang said.
Last month was particularly warm, he said, with average temperatures recorded at 13 of the bureau’s observation stations reaching 26.28°C as of Monday, the highest since 1947, the bureau said.
Fall was particularly wet this year because of the occurrence of typhoons in September and last month, among them typhoons Meranti, Malakas, Megi and Aere, Shang said.
As a result, many of the bureau’s observation stations in the south and southeast reported record rainfall, he added.
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