Seasonal wind, cold air mass to bring mercury down to 10°C by weekend

Taipei, Nov. 25 (CNA) Strong seasonal winds and a cold air mass are forecast to drive temperatures in northern Taiwan down this week to a possible overnight low of 10 degrees Celsius, according to the Central Weather Administration (CWA).

A weather front stretching between the southern part of the Yellow Sea and China's Jiangxi province is approaching and is expected to move past Taiwan on Tuesday, bringing temperatures in the north to 18-19 degrees early Tuesday, CWA forecaster Chen Pei-an (陳姵安) told CNA Monday.

Northern Taiwan will then experience strong seasonal winds from the northeast and the nighttime temperature will fall to 16 degrees on Tuesday, while a daytime high of 15 degrees is expected on Wednesday when a cold air mass begins to impact the weather in Taiwan, Chen said.

The weather front and the northeasterly wind are expected to bring brief showers in northern and eastern Taiwan, and heavier rainfall in Keelung, as well as the coastal area and mountainous parts of northern Taiwan Monday night and Tuesday morning, the CWA forecaster said.

In central and southern Taiwan, sporadic showers are likely in the mountainous areas, and cloudy to mostly clear weather is expected in other places on Tuesday, she added.

On Wednesday, the nighttime temperature in northern Taiwan will fall to 14 degrees due to the impact of the cold air mass, which is expected to also bring drier weather across Taiwan, Chen said.

From Thursday to Saturday, cooler and dry weather is expected across Taiwan, except for sporadic showers in Keelung and nearby coastal areas, Chen said. Daytime highs are projected to reach 19-20 degrees in the north, 22-23 degrees in central Taiwan, and 24-26 degrees in the south.

Temperatures as low as 10 degrees are likely overnight and in the early hours in areas close to the mountains in Hsinchu and Miaoli on those days, while a sharp swing in temperatures -- up to 9 degrees -- is expected in central and southern Taiwan, Chen said.

The cold air mass is expected to weaken on Saturday, with most areas in Taiwan expected to see cloudy to sunny weather through next Monday, she said.