A new wave of cold air moving southwards has created a cold spell expected to last from tomorrow until Monday, causing temperatures to plummet to 10°C or lower in the northern, central and northeast regions this weekend, meteorologist Lin Te-en (林得恩) said.
The strongest impact is to be felt from Sunday evening until early morning Monday, he said.
Cold temperatures are most likely to affect Miaoli, Taichung, Changhua, Nantou and Hualien counties, the Central Weather Administration said.
Photo: Tien Yu-hua, Taipei Times
Cold air masses have also resulted in frost and sub-zero temperatures at Yushan National Park in Nantou County, which recorded Taiwan’s then-lowest temperature on record at –4.5°C yesterday which then dropped to a new record of –5.4°C from 2am this morning at Yushan North Peak’s weather station, the Yushan National Park Headquarters said.
Paiyun Lodge, at 3,402m above sea level, is currently at –3.5°C and also covered in ice, with visitors advised to be careful of slippery ground and freezing temperatures, it said.
According to Lin’s Facebook page “Teacher Lin’s Meteorological Station,” a continuous stream of continental air masses has caused frosty temperatures as winter begins this year, with 158 out-of-hospital cardiac arrests (OHCA) reported in Taiwan in recent days, according to the National Fire Agency of the Ministry of the Interior.
International research found that for every one-degree Celsius temperature drop, cardiovascular mortality rates increase by 1.6 percent and incidence rates rise by 1.2 percent, he said.
Mid-level stratus clouds are gradually clearing today, meaning mostly sunny skies in the midwestern region, with the eastern Greater Taipei Area, Yilan and Hualien to expect occasional showers, meteorologist and adjunct associate professor of atmospheric sciences at National Central University Daniel Wu (吳德榮) said today in a column for The Meteorological Application and Development Foundation.
As the cold air front gradually dissipates, temperatures are expected to rise but remain cold in the mornings and evenings, he said.
Some flatland areas would see temperatures below 10°C, as radiative cooling at nighttime brings temperatures even lower in the early mornings, he added.
Wu advised the public to wrap up, especially the elderly and those with pre-existing heart conditions.
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