Rainfall in spring is expected to be normal or less than usual, the Central Weather Bureau (CWB) said yesterday, adding that the average temperatures from next month to May would be normal.
Bureau data showed that Taiwan was under the influence of cold waves for eight days from December last year to last month, more than the average of three-and-a-half days, Weather Forecast Center Director Lu Kuo-chen (呂國臣) said.
Three cold waves from the end of December to the middle of last month contributed to last month’s lower average temperature, but the average temperatures in December and this month were normal or warmer than usual, Lu said.
Photo: Hsiao Yu-hsin, Taipei Times
Winter rain fell mostly in the northeast, while there was less rain than normal along the west coast and in the southeast, Lu said.
In particular, rainfall in the regions south of Hsinchu County was only 30 to 60 percent of the usual average, he added.
As for the weather in spring, Lu said that atmospheric data collected from the central and east equatorial Pacific show that the La Nina effect is weakening, and the weather is expected to return to normal in summer.
Historic data showed that next month’s rainfall is likely to be less than normal as it comes after a La Nina year, Lu said, adding that since 2000, rainfall and the number of rainy days in March and April have tended to be less than normal.
“We estimate that rainfall in March and May will be normal, but lower than average ... in April. Average temperatures from March to May are generally expected to fall within the normal range, although we have detected signs that there would be slightly below-average temperatures in April,” Lu said.
As La Nina’s effect on the nation has changed over the years, the bureau would closely monitor atmospheric data and provide weather updates to the public and Water Resources Agency, he said.
Asked about the amount of rain in the plum rain season, which generally lasts from May to June, Lu said that the bureau has not gathered much data on it.
However, he said that in the past few years there has not been significant rainfall until the second half of May.
Cold air masses might still arrive next month, he said.
People should remain vigilant about rapid weather changes, as they happen frequently in spring, when highs could reach 30°C during the day, but drop below 20°C at night, Lu said.
Fog would appear along the west coast, as well as in Kinmen and Lienchiang counties in March and April, he said.
As for the weather on 228 Peace Memorial Day on Sunday, Weather Forecast Center specialist Wu Wan-hua (伍婉華) said that a northeast monsoon would arrive on Friday and continue to affect the nation until Saturday.
Showers are forecast in the north and east, on the Hengchun Peninsula, as well as in the mountainous areas in central and southern Taiwan on Saturday, she said.
Rain would ease when the monsoon weakens on Sunday, Wu said, adding that sunny skies are forecast for all regions except eastern Taiwan.
Theaters and institutions in Taiwan have received 28 threatening e-mails, including bomb threats, since a documentary critical of China began being screened across the nation last month, the National Security Bureau said yesterday. The actions are part of China’s attempts to undermine Taiwan’s sovereignty, it said. State Organs (國有器官) documents allegations that Chinese government officials engage in organ harvesting and other illegal activities. From last month to Friday last week, 28 incidents have been reported of theaters or institutions receiving threats, including bomb and shooting threats, if they did not stop showing the documentary, the bureau said. Although the threats were not carried out,
The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) on Friday condemned Chinese and Russian authorities for escalating regional tensions, citing Chinese warplanes crossing the Taiwan Strait’s median line and joint China-Russia military activities breaching South Korea’s air defense identification zone (KADIZ) over the past two days. A total of 30 Chinese warplanes crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait on Thursday and Friday, entering Taiwan’s northern and southwestern airspace in coordination with 15 naval vessels and three high-altitude balloons, the MAC said in a statement. The Chinese military also carried out another “joint combat readiness patrol” targeting Taiwan on Thursday evening, the MAC said. On
The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) yesterday confirmed that Chinese students visiting Taiwan at the invitation of the Ma Ying-jeou Foundation were almost all affiliated with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). During yesterday’s meeting convened by the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee, Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Michelle Lin (林楚茵) asked whether the visit was a way to spread China’s so-called “united front” rhetoric, to which MAC Deputy Ministry Shen You-chung (沈有忠) responded with the CCP comment. The MAC noticed that the Chinese individuals visiting Taiwan, including those in sports, education, or religion, have had increasingly impressive backgrounds, demonstrating that the
MILITARY EXERCISES: China is expected to conduct more drills in the region after President William Lai’s office announced he would stopover in Hawaii and Guam China is likely to launch military drills in the coming days near Taiwan, using President William Lai’s (賴清德) upcoming trip to the Pacific and scheduled US transit as a pretext, regional security officials said. Lai is to begin a visit to Taipei’s three diplomatic allies in the Pacific on Saturday, and sources told Reuters he was planning stops in Hawaii and the US territory of Guam in a sensitive trip shortly after the US presidential election. Lai’s office has yet to confirm details of what are officially “stop-overs” in the US, but is expected to do so shortly before he departs, sources
RSS