Mercury could dip to 16 degrees on Thursday

Taipei, Nov. 27 (CNA) Temperatures in Taiwan will dip to as low as 16 degrees Celsius on Thursday as seasonal winds from the northeast intensify, according to the Central Weather Bureau (CWB).

The system is expected to start to affect the weather around Taiwan on Thursday, in particular in the north, with temperatures there likely to fall to 16 degrees at night and 22-23 degrees during the day, CWB forecaster Lee Meng-hsuan (李孟軒) said.

The lows in central and southern Taiwan on Thursday could fall to 17 and 19 degrees, respectively, from daytime highs of 25-27 degrees, Lee said.

The weather system could continue to affect conditions around Taiwan into Saturday, but its strength is expected to fade to some extent after Thursday and send temperatures higher.

As for Tuesday, a cloud system in the south is moving north and will lead to scattered rainfall around Taiwan and heavy rain in mountainous areas.

Lee said daytime temperatures on Tuesday will be around 23 degrees in northern Taiwan and 25-27 degrees in central and southern Taiwan.

He warned that the mercury could fall to 18 degrees in northern Taiwan and to 18-20 degrees in central and southern parts of the country Tuesday night.

The lowest temperature in low-lying areas of Taiwan early Tuesday morning was recorded at 19.4 degrees in monitoring stations in Chiayi, Yilan, Banqiao and Taichung, according to the CWB.

The CWB said big waves are expected for Taiwan's northern coast, eastern Taiwan, and the Hengchun Peninsula on Taiwan's southern tip.

Meanwhile, the air quality in many parts of the country, such as northern Taiwan, Yilan, Hualien, and Taitung counties in the east and Penghu, Matsu and Kinmen islands was expected to be good on Tuesday,

It will be fair in central Taiwan, Yunlin, Chiayi, Tainan, Kaohsiung and Pingtung, according to the Environmental Protection Administration (EPA).