Plum trees in Nantou County are expected to come into full bloom by the middle of this month as the weather turns cooler, a township mayor in the landlocked county said on Sunday.
About half of the plum trees in Renai (仁愛) and Sinyi (信義) townships, the county’s two most popular areas for viewing plum blossoms, are flowering, local observers said.
“If a cold spell or cold air mass prevails, the blooming will peak by the middle of the month,” Renai Township Mayor Chiang Tzu-hsin (江子信) said.
This year is expected to be one of the best for viewing plum blossoms in Taiwan, he said.
Meanwhile, in Sinyi Township, the plum trees are also about 50 percent in bloom, thanks to constant rainfall and cool temperatures, said Chang Sheng-cheng (張勝正), head of Dream Works of the Mei (plum), which is run by the Sinyi Township Farmers’ Association.
Fenggueidou (風櫃斗), Wusonglun (烏松崙), Niouchoukeng (牛稠坑), Waipingding (外坪頂) and Tuchang (土場) are the main areas in Sinyi Township for viewing plum blossoms, he said.
Chang and Chiang suggested that weekdays would be the best time to visit Nantou on plum blossom appreciation tours, as traffic is usually heavy on weekends during the plum blossom season.
The Central Weather Bureau said a cold, dry air mass arrived in Taiwan yesterday, sending temperatures down nationwide for most of the week.
If the cold front is upgraded to a strong cold air mass or a cold surge, temperatures in open coastal areas can be expected to drop as low as 7°C between today and Friday, the bureau said.
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