Cooler weather and strong winds forecast for Taiwan Wednesday

Taipei, Jan. 10 (CNA) Temperatures across Taiwan will fall Wednesday, especially at night, as a cold air mass arrives, according to the Central Weather Administration (CWA).

Northern Taiwan will see cooler weather during the day, with temperatures peaking at 17-19 degrees Celsius, while the mercury in central and southern Taiwan will remain above 20 degrees.

Starting Wednesday evening, however, temperatures will plunge to around 10-12 degrees in the north and 13-15 degrees in other areas, the CWA forecast.

Temperatures in parts of the island north of Tainan could even fall below 10 degrees early Thursday morning, the CWA said.

The weather bureau said there was a chance of rain in northern and eastern Taiwan on Wednesday, tapering off later in the day, while other regions were likely to see mostly cloudy skies with occasional bursts of sunlight, the CWA predicted.

Strong winds were also expected, according to the the administration, with gusts of over 60 kilometers per hour expected along Taiwan's northern coast, coastal regions from Taoyuan to Tainan, and the Hengchun Peninsula.

Inland areas in western Taiwan will also experience strong winds, the CWA said.

Air quality in certain parts of the country will be subpar. Warning of overseas air pollution brought in with the winds, the Ministry of Environment issued an "orange" alert for air quality in Kaohsiung, Pingtung County and the outlying Kinmen and Matsu islands.

Central and southern Taiwan may also face orange air quality alerts later in the day, according to the ministry.

Under an orange alert, the air quality is considered unhealthy for sensitive groups such as the elderly, children and people with cardiac or respiratory conditions, and those groups are advised against outdoor activities.