The strongest cold air mass to blanket the nation this winter began yesterday and would continue through tomorrow morning, with temperatures in low-lying areas potentially falling below 7°C, independent meteorologist Daniel Wu (吳德榮) said yesterday.
The cold air is expected to weaken during the day tomorrow through Monday evening, before the weather turns clear and cold on Tuesday afternoon as another strong cold air mass moves southward, he said.
A cold surge advisory took effect for New Taipei City, Keelung, Taipei, Taoyuan, Hsinchu County, Miaoli County, Yilan County and Kinmen County yesterday morning and was to remain in effect through the night amid a strong continental cold air mass, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said.
Photo: George Tsorng, Taipei Times
CWA data showed that as of 9:46am yesterday, the lowest temperatures were recorded in Lienchiang County, with 8.3°C in Dongyin Township (東引) and 9.2°C in Beigan Township (北竿).
The lowest temperatures on Taiwan proper were in New Taipei City’s Shihmen District (石門) at 9.3°C and its Wugu District (五股) at 9.6°C.
The CWA also forecast daytime highs of 13°C to 14°C in northern Taiwan, 16°C to 18°C in central Taiwan and Hualien County, and 19°C to 22°C in the south and Taitung County, adding that temperatures could fall to as low as 10°C to 12°C in central Taiwan and Yilan, and 13°C to 15°C in the south and in Hualien and Taitung counties.
Meanwhile, the Taipei City Government’s Social Welfare Department yesterday said there are about 400 registered homeless people in the city.
When the temperature drops below 12°C, cold shelter services and temporary shelters would be set up at locations where homeless people gather, such as Taipei Main Station and Wanhua District (萬華), it said.
Social workers would conduct daytime visits to check on the homeless, ensuring they have enough warm clothing, jackets, sleeping bags and other necessities, it said, adding that they would promote the availability of temporary shelters for overnight stays, with no residency requirements.
A magnitude 7.0 earthquake struck off Yilan at 11:05pm yesterday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The epicenter was located at sea, about 32.3km east of Yilan County Hall, at a depth of 72.8km, CWA data showed There were no immediate reports of damage. The intensity of the quake, which gauges the actual effect of a seismic event, measured 4 in Yilan County area on Taiwan’s seven-tier intensity scale, the data showed. It measured 4 in other parts of eastern, northern and central Taiwan as well as Tainan, and 3 in Kaohsiung and Pingtung County, and 2 in Lienchiang and Penghu counties and 1
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