New Year’s Eve revelers attending outdoor events in the north might want to bundle up, as temperatures could drop to 12°C due to an approaching strong continental cold air mass, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday.
Lows in the north could drop to 14°C on New Year’s Eve tomorrow and to 12°C to 14°C in areas near mountains and more open areas, CWA forecaster Lin Po-tung (林伯東) said yesterday, adding that lows would be higher in the central, eastern and southern regions.
Photo: CNA
Meanwhile, people in the north might have trouble watching fireworks from a distance, as clouds in areas north of Taoyuan — particularly in Keelung, Yilan and the north coast — are expected to be thick and low tomorrow, Lin said.
Thick and low clouds in the north and east might also prevent residents in the two regions from watching the sunrise clearly on New Year’s Day on Thursday, but those in the central and southern regions would not have such a problem, he added.
The strong cold air mass is forecast to arrive on Thursday and continue to affect the nation until the weekend, Lin said.
Temperatures in the north and Yilan County are forecast to drop significantly and rapidly, with lows on Friday and Saturday falling to about 10°C, he said.
Residents in the northern and eastern regions could see lows from 6°C to 8°C if they are close to mountains, while those in areas north of Miaoli County could see lows drop to 8°C to 10°C as well.
Lows could also hit 10°C in central Taiwan and 12°C to 14°C in Hualien and Taitung counties, he said.
Highs in the north would rebound significantly on Sunday, but another wave of cold air would arrive on Monday next week, bringing lows in the north down again to 14°C, Lin said.
Next week’s cold air mass is forecast to be slightly weaker than the strong continental cold air mass this week, he added.
Lows from 10°C to 12°C might also occur in the plains of Taichung, northern Yilan and Hualien, as well as in areas south of Changhua near the mountains, Lin said.
Rain in the north and east would persist until Thursday and is forecast to start easing on Friday due to the arrival of a colder and dryer air mass, while sunny skies are forecast for central and southern Taiwan, Lin said.
Chances of rain in the north and east would rise again when another cold air arrives on Monday next week, he added.
From Thursday evening to early morning Friday, mountains above 1,500m in central, northern and northeastern regions might experience snowfall or other forms of solid precipitation, Lin said.
High mountains in areas north of central Taiwan at elevations of around 3,000m may also experience icy conditions, he added.
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