Cold front to lower temperatures to 10°C in northern Taiwan

Taipei, Dec. 24 (CNA) A continental cold air mass moving south toward Taiwan could bring chilly weather from Sunday night to Tuesday morning, with temperatures as low as 10 degrees Celsius forecast in the northern area overnight on Sunday, according to the Central Weather Administration (CWA).

Following a cold wave that has swept through Taiwan over the past few days, the incoming cold front could reach the intensity of a strong continental cold air mass, pushing temperatures to 10 degrees or below in the north, Taichung in the center, Yilan County in the northeast, and the outlying Kinmen islands Sunday night, the CWA said.

The weather agency also forecast lows of 12-14 degrees in central and southern Taiwan, and 17-18 degrees in Hualien and Taitung counties Sunday night.

The chilly weather is expected to last until Monday in the north, northeast and east, while other areas would also experience low temperatures during early morning and late night, according to the weather agency.

However, during the day Sunday, highs of 16-18 degrees are forecast for the north, while temperatures in other areas could reach 20-23 degrees, according to the CWA.

Although occasional or sporadic rain fell in some areas of the north, east and mountainous areas of central and southern Taiwan during Sunday morning, the rain could ease off later that day, the CWA said.

Meanwhile, with northeasterly winds gaining strength, the CWA issued a strong wind advisory for open coastal regions from Taoyuan to Tainan and the Hengchun Peninsula, as well as the outlying Penghu, Orchid and Green islands, where wind speeds are forecast at up to 103 kilometers per hour.

People on Taiwan's northern coast, and in coastal areas of eastern and southeastern regions and the outlying Kinmen and Matsu islands should stay alert for strong winds, it added.

According to the CWA, Hehuanshan's Wuling peak in Nantou County, central Taiwan, which is at 3,275 meters above sea level, saw brief and light snowfall around 4-5 a.m. Sunday when temperatures fell to between zero and minus 1 degrees.

The snowfall came after soft hail was spotted on the Wuling peak on Saturday.

Moreover, freezing rain occurred in the northern peak of Yushan (Jade Mountain) overnight before a low of minus 2.1 degrees was recorded at 7:51 a.m. Sunday at the CWA's Yushan Weather Station at 3,850 meters above sea level, the agency said.

According to CWA data, on Sunday morning, the lowest temperature recorded at low-elevation areas in Taiwan proper was 12.1 degrees in Taichung's Wufeng District and Taoyuan's Yangmei District.