After celebrating the New Year under warm sunny skies, people should brace for cooler temperatures with a cold air mass forecast to sweep in on Sunday, a former Central Weather Bureau official said.
The nation has been covered by a warm air mass created by a high-pressure system in the Pacific since the beginning of the New Year holiday, former bureau director-general Daniel Wu (吳德榮) said.
The nation would continue to be under the influence of the warm air mass between today and Saturday, based on the results of simulations conducted by the European Center for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts, he said.
Daytime temperatures through Saturday would be warm and pleasant, with slightly cooler temperatures expected early in the morning and late at night, he said.
Temperatures through Saturday are forecast to reach highs of 26°C and 28°C on the west coast, and between 24°C and 27°C on the east coast, he said.
Daytime temperatures in the north could drop by 1°C to 2°C today because of a weak northeast monsoon, which would lead to cloudy skies in the coastal and mountainous areas, raising the chances of isolated showers, Wu said.
Another monsoon is forecast to arrive on Sunday, and its intensity would be very close to a continental cold air mass, he said.
People should beware of the enhanced health risks posed by the dramatic change in temperature, he said, especially after a week of warm weather.
The chances of showers or fog are also higher on Saturday, he added.
The Taipei Department of Health yesterday said it has launched a probe into a restaurant at Far Eastern Sogo Xinyi A13 Department Store after a customer died of suspected food poisoning. A preliminary investigation on Sunday found missing employee health status reports and unsanitary kitchen utensils at Polam Kopitiam (寶林茶室) in the department store’s basement food court, the department said. No direct relationship between the food poisoning death and the restaurant was established, as no food from the day of the incident was available for testing and no other customers had reported health complaints, it said, adding that the investigation is ongoing. Later
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