Temperatures soar above 37 degrees in southern Taiwan

Taipei, Feb. 21 (CNA) Heat advisories were in effect for three cities and counties on Wednesday afternoon as southwesterly winds drove temperatures above 37 degrees Celsius in parts of southern Taiwan, according to the Central Weather Administration (CWA).

The CWA said it had issued an "orange" heat alert for Tainan, indicating highs of 38 degrees, while Kaohsiung and Pingtung were warned of temperatures rising above 36 degrees.

As of press time, Tainan's Yujing District had reported the day's highest temperature of 37.7 degrees, though the measurement won't be included in Taiwan's official heat records since Yujing is an automatic, rather than manually operated weather station, the CWA said.

Meanwhile, Pingtung's Laiyi Township recorded a high of 37.1 degrees, while Kaohsiung's Neimen District reported a high of 36.2 degrees, the weather agency said.

CWA forecaster Huang En-hung (黃恩鴻) told CNA the high temperatures were caused by southwesterly winds carrying hot air into mountainous, inland areas where it subsequently stagnated.

In terms of manned weather stations in Tainan, the hottest temperature measured this month was 31 degrees, the fifth-highest February temperature ever recorded in the south Taiwan city, Huang said.