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.
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