Mercury to dip below 10°C in 3 Taiwan counties early Monday

Taipei, Jan. 7 (CNA) The Central Weather Administration (CWA) has warned temperatures in Hsinchu, Miaoli and Nantou counties could drop to below 10 degrees Celsius early Monday.

The agency has issued cold surge advisories for Monday morning, projecting temperatures around 10 degrees in the three counties in northern and central Taiwan due to northeasterly winds and a radiative cooling effect.

CWA forecaster Chen Pei-an (陳姵安) told CNA that the influence of northeasterly winds would last until early Monday morning.

Combined with radiative cooling, the temperatures could reach 12-16 degrees in areas north of central Taiwan, and 16-18 degrees in the south early Monday, she said.

Daytime highs on Monday could reach 20-22 degrees in northern Taiwan and Hualien and Yilan counties in the east, with other areas of the country experiencing highs of 24-26 degrees due to weakening northeasterly winds, Chen added.

Chen also projected that on Saturday, the day Taiwan holds its presidential and legislative elections, it would be moderately cool across the country, with early morning lows of 14-15 degrees and daytime highs of 20-22 degrees.

Brief rain is expected in parts of eastern Taiwan while mountainous areas in northern Taiwan could see sporadic brief showers on Saturday, Chen said.