Arriving cold air mass to send temperatures plummeting over weekend

Taipei, Jan. 15 (CNA) A strong continental cold air mass is forecast to arrive in Taiwan by the end of this week and push temperatures down to 11 degrees Celsius in Taipei, according to the Central Weather Administration (CWA).

The mercury in Taipei is expected to dip to as low as 11-12 degrees when the cold front arrives on Sunday, while other parts of Taiwan could also see lower temperatures starting then, weather forecaster Lin Ting-yi (林定宜) told CNA on Monday.

The cold front will likely linger for several days until Jan. 24, Lin said, noting that there is also a chance of snowfall at altitudes of over 3,000 meters on Jan. 22.

As for the weather Tuesday, wet weather will prevail in the eastern half of Taiwan, coastal areas of Keelung, and mountainous areas of Greater Taipei due to the continued influence of northeasterly winds, he said.

Lows of 13-16 degrees can be expected in the western half of Taiwan and Yilan County in the northeast and 17-18 degrees in Hualien and Taitung counties, Lin said.

The seasonal winds are expected to weaken on Wednesday, he said, and cloudy to sunny skies can be expected on Thursday, though brief showers could still occur in the eastern half of Taiwan.

As the cold front approaches, the system's moisture will result in sporadic rain in parts of northern Taiwan starting Friday afternoon, he said.