This winter has been the second-coldest in Taiwan since records began, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday, adding that more cold fronts could arrive at the beginning of spring, which starts this weekend.
As of Monday, 13 continental air masses, or cold waves, had crossed Taiwan since December last year, Weather Forecast Center Director Chen Yi-liang (陳怡良) said.
The nation’s average temperature this winter was 17.84°C, lower than the winter average of 18.68°C, the second-coldest ever following 17.58°C in 2011, Chen said.
Photo: Fang Pin-chao, Taipei Times
Eleven of the 25 observation stations across Taiwan recorded lower-than-average winter temperatures, he said.
While the northeast monsoon typically brings rain to the north and northeast of Taiwan in winter, rainfall in the regions this winter was less than 70 percent of the average, Chen said.
The agency recorded only 25.5 days of rain across the nation this winter, lower than the average of 32.6 rainy days, he said, adding that it was the fourth-lowest since 1951.
Photo: Lin Chih-yi, Taipei Times
Rainfall in central and southern Taiwan was slightly above average, he said.
“Based on simulated data and data from other meteorology agencies around the world, the average temperature in spring is likely to be within the normal range, he said.
However, rainfall would be normal or below average from next month to April, he added.
Whether the plum rain season in May brings substantial rainfall remains to be seen,” Chen said.
Cold air from the north could still reach the nation next month, he said, adding that fog would occur more frequently in the next two months, particularly on the west coast, and in Kinmen and Lienchiang counties.
People in central and southern Taiwan should conserve water, as relatively fewer rainy days are forecast in spring, he said.
The CWA also gave a forecast for the 228 Memorial Day long weekend.
Daytime temperatures in the south are forecast to reach 28°C to 29°C, while those in the north of central Taiwan and Taitung could be 25°C to 26°C.
Highs in Yilan and Hualien counties are expected to be 24°C, while those in Kinmen and Penghu counties would be 20°C, it said.
Temperatures in Lienchiang County would be about 15°C.
Highs on Monday next week could reach 30°C before dropping the following day, when another northeast monsoon is forecast to arrive, the agency said.
Taiwan yesterday condemned the recent increase in Chinese coast guard-escorted fishing vessels operating illegally in waters around the Pratas Islands (Dongsha Islands, 東沙群島) in the South China Sea. Unusually large groupings of Chinese fishing vessels began to appear around the islands on Feb. 15, when at least six motherships and 29 smaller boats were sighted, the Coast Guard Administration (CGA) said in a news release. While CGA vessels were dispatched to expel the Chinese boats, Chinese coast guard ships trespassed into Taiwan’s restricted waters and unsuccessfully attempted to interfere, the CGA said. Due to the provocation, the CGA initiated an operation to increase
A crowd of over 200 people gathered outside the Taipei District Court as two sisters indicted for abusing a 1-year-old boy to death attended a preliminary hearing in the case yesterday afternoon. The crowd held up signs and chanted slogans calling for aggravated penalties in child abuse cases and asking for no bail and “capital punishment.” They also held white flowers in memory of the boy, nicknamed Kai Kai (剴剴), who was allegedly tortured to death by the sisters in December 2023. The boy died four months after being placed in full-time foster care with the
A Taiwanese woman on Sunday was injured by a small piece of masonry that fell from the dome of St Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican during a visit to the church. The tourist, identified as Hsu Yun-chen (許芸禎), was struck on the forehead while she and her tour group were near Michelangelo’s sculpture Pieta. Hsu was rushed to a hospital, the group’s guide to the church, Fu Jing, said yesterday. Hsu was found not to have serious injuries and was able to continue her tour as scheduled, Fu added. Mathew Lee (李世明), Taiwan’s recently retired ambassador to the Holy See, said he met
The Shanlan Express (山嵐號), or “Mountain Mist Express,” is scheduled to launch on April 19 as part of the centennial celebration of the inauguration of the Taitung Line. The tourism express train was renovated from the Taiwan Railway Corp’s EMU500 commuter trains. It has four carriages and a seating capacity of 60 passengers. Lion Travel is arranging railway tours for the express service. Several news outlets were invited to experience the pilot tour on the new express train service, which is to operate between Hualien Railway Station and Chihshang (池上) Railway Station in Taitung County. It would also be the first tourism service