36 degrees Celsius forecast for southern half of Taiwan next week

Taipei, April 13 (CNA) Cloudy to sunny skies are forecast in central and southern Taiwan next week with the temperature expected to reach as high as 36 degrees Celsius, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said Saturday.

With a warm easterly wind system likely to set in, stable weather conditions will continue in the southern half of the country over the next week, with daytime temperatures expected to range between 32 and 34 degrees, the CWA said, adding that the mercury in mountainous areas is likely to hit 36 degrees.

As for northern Taiwan, the CWA said the weather will turn stable from Sunday after a weak northeaster wind system quickly moves past the north, with temperature highs forecast to range from 31-32 degrees until Tuesday (April 16).

In the second half of Monday (April 15), northern Taiwan is expected to see increased cloud cover and sporadic showers are possible, cooling the weather, with daytime temperatures forecast to range between 28-29 degrees for the remainder of the week.

On Saturday, northeasterly winds are expected to bring brief showers to northern Taiwan, while thunderstorms are possible in Hualien and Taitung in the east as well as the outlying Kinmen and Matsu islands.

Temperature highs in the north and the east are expected to hit 28-30 degrees Saturday before falling to 22-24 degrees at night, while daytime temperatures are forecast to reach 30-33 degrees in central and southern Taiwan, but could go higher in mountainous areas before falling to 25-26 degrees at night.

Kinmen and Matsu are expected to see fog lower visibility Saturday, the CWA said, urging travelers to keep a close eye on possible disruptions to flight schedules.

Fog is expected to continue to affect the two outlaying islands into Tuesday, the CWA added.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Environment rated air quality as "good" to "fair" in most of Taiwan on Saturday, while the air quality index flashed an "orange" warning in parts of western Taiwan, indicating unhealthy pollution levels for sensitive groups.