A cold air front is forecast to hit Taiwan in the four days leading up to the Lunar New Year holiday, bringing cold temperatures and rain over the weekend, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said today.
Starting on Friday, there are to be major drops in temperature across Taiwan, with seasonal northeasterly winds potentially bringing rain to the northern and eastern parts of the main island, the agency said.
Southern and central areas would also see higher humidity levels and chance of rainfall, it added.
Photo: Taipei Times
However, temperatures are to improve after the second day of Lunar New Year, it said.
Taiwan would continue to be impacted by the cold air mass from the continent today, CWA forecaster Chu Mei-lin (朱美霖) said.
In the early morning today, the temperature north of Tainan, and Yilan and Hualien counties dropped below 12°C.
Local temperatures below 10°C were recorded in the outlying counties of Kinmen and Lienchiang, greater Taipei, the northeast coast, the east coast and other areas.
The lowest recorded temperature nationwide was 5.4°C in Sanwan Township (三灣), Miaoli County.
The current cold front is to gradually weaken starting tomorrow and temperatures across the country are to rise significantly, Chu said.
People should be careful about temperature differences between the day and night, Chu added.
There would also be a high chance of rainfall in the eastern half of the country as well as sporadic rainfall in western mountainous areas, the agency said.
The incoming cold front may drop temperatures even lower than today between Friday and Sunday, Chu said, although its exact strength and how long It will last are still to be determined.
Penghu, Kinmen and Lienchiang counties are to see increased cloud cover and chance of rain starting on Wednesday, while northern and eastern parts of Taiwan would also see higher likelihood of rainfall, the CWA said.
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