The lowest temperature in a low-lying area recorded early yesterday morning was in Miaoli County’s Gongguan Township (公館), at 6.8°C, due to a strong cold air mass and the effect of radiative cooling, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said.
In other areas, Chiayi’s East District (東區) recorded a low of 8.2°C and Yunlin County’s Huwei Township (虎尾) recorded 8.5°C, CWA data showed.
The cold air mass was at its strongest from Saturday night to the early hours of yesterday.
Photo courtesy of the Wuling Farm via CNA
It brought temperatures down to 9°C to 11°C in areas across the nation and the outlying Kinmen and Lienchiang (Matsu) counties, the CWA said, adding that lows of 7°C to 9°C were recorded in some open areas and low-lying foothills near mountains.
The Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency said that it recorded 0.1°C in Wuling Farm (武陵農場) in Taichung County at 6:40am yesterday morning, with the vine gardens at the farm coated in ice in the early hours.
Managers at the farm turned on the irrigation system in the vine garden greenhouses to prevent freezing. As a result, icicles formed on the greenhouses and even on hydrangea flowers, the nature conservation agency said.
With the strength of a continental cold air mass gradually easing, daytime temperatures yesterday rose to 21°C to 23°C in central and southern Taiwan, 16°C to 19°C in northern Taiwan, as well as Yilan and Hualien counties in the east.
The mercury would drop sharply after nightfall to 11°C to 16°C in Taiwan proper, 13°C to 17°C in the outlying Penghu Islands, and 10°C to 15°C in Kinmen and 9°C to 11°C in Matsu counties, the CWA said.
The weather would be dry and cold early this morning due to the strong continental cold air mass coupled with the effect of radiative cooling, independent meteorologist Daniel Wu (吳德榮) said.
Northeasterly winds would strengthen slightly on New Year’s Eve tomorrow and New Year’s Day, Wu said.
Largely sunny skies would prevail in the western half of Taiwan, and there is a chance of scattered rain in some mountainous areas and the eastern half on New Year’s Eve, he said.
Starting from the daytime on Wednesday, brief showers are expected in the mountainous regions and the eastern half of Taiwan, with occasional rainfall in the low-lying areas of the western half, he said.
Such conditions might not be ideal for viewing the first sunrise of the new year, Wu added.
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