Normal to slightly warmer, drier spring predicted: Weather agency

Taipei, March 5 (CNA) A typical spring with slightly higher temperatures and less rain is likely in Taiwan as the El Nino weather phenomenon weakens, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) predicted Tuesday.

After a winter affected by a typical El Nino pattern -- warmer than normal sea surface temperatures in the central and eastern Pacific Ocean -- the spring weather should return to a normal range, said Chen Yi-liang (陳怡良), director of the CWA Weather Forecast Center.

As a result, average temperatures in March may hover between 18.4-19.2 degrees Celsius in northern Taiwan, 19.8-20.7 degrees in central Taiwan, 21.3-22.3 degrees in the south, and 19.9-20.9 degrees in the east, Chen said at a press conference.

Average rainfall during the period could range between 129-182 millimeters in northern Taiwan, 38-91 mm in central Taiwan, 7-28 mm in southern Taiwan, and 53-94 mm in eastern Taiwan, he said.

As for the winter that has just ended, Chen said it was relatively warm despite being affected by six cold air masses or cold surges.

The average temperature this past winter was 19.4 degrees, making it the sixth warmest winter on record, he said.

According to CWA data, the warmest winter occurred in 2019, registering a temperature of 20.5 degrees, compared with an average of 18.7 degrees seen between 1991 and 2020.

This past winter was relatively dry as well, recording a rainfall of 160.3 mm -- the fifth lowest on record -- compared to average precipitation of 260.6 mm, according to Chen.