Temperatures of up to 36°C expected across Taiwan on summer solstice

Taipei, June 21 (CNA) The Central Weather Administration (CWA) has forecast hot weather across Taiwan on Friday, the summer solstice, with temperatures reaching up to 36 degrees Celsius.

The weather agency issued heat advisories for 10 counties and cities at 7:22 a.m., including orange alerts for Changhua, Yunlin, and Pingtung counties and the city of Tainan, indicating that the mercury in those areas could exceed 36 degrees for three consecutive days.

According to the CWA, the skies over Taiwan will be partly cloudy on Friday due to a relatively strong Pacific high-pressure system combining with weak southerly winds around the island.

Thunderstorms could hit areas in the northern half of Taiwan in the afternoon, the CWA said, with mountainous areas and the southern parts of the Greater Taipei area more likely to experience heavy rain.

Daytime highs will range between 31 degrees and 36 degrees across Taiwan on Friday, with the mercury in areas north of Taoyuan, the foothills of central and southern Taiwan, and the Hualien Rift Valley in the east possibly exceeding 36 degrees.

With the Pacific high pressure system expected to remain in place in the coming days, temperatures will hover between 32 degrees and 35 degrees over the weekend, the CWA forecast.

Highs of 36 degrees could be seen in moutainous areas or river valleys in western parts of Taiwan as well as the Hualien-Taitung Rift Valley, the CWA said.