Taiwan warms up as cold air mass weakens

Taipei, Dec. 17 (CNA) Chilly weather continued to affect much of western Taiwan on Tuesday morning, and another cold air mass is expected to arrive Tuesday night after a brief rebound in temperatures later in the day.

The CWA issued a "yellow" cold advisory Tuesday morning, meaning that the minimum temperature is expected to dip below 10 degrees Celsius in the Hsinchu, Miaoli, Taichung, Changhua and Nantou areas.

The advisory will be in effect from Tuesday morning to Wednesday morning.

Earlier in the morning, Dahe Village in Miaoli County recorded the lowest temperature of any low-lying area in Taiwan, hitting 7.1 degrees at 2:20 a.m., according to the Central Weather Administration (CWA).

The second lowest temperature, 7.8 degrees, was recorded in Emei Township in Hsinchu County, while more than 20 places recorded lows of below 10 degrees, including some in Nantou, Yunlin and Chiayi counties.

In other areas, lows of 10-14 degrees were recorded in the western half of Taiwan and the northeast, according to the CWA.

With the ongoing continental cold air mass gradually weakening, however, the mercury will rebound during the day, with highs of 18-21 degrees forecast in northern and northeastern Taiwan and highs of 22-26 degrees expected in other areas, the CWA said.

The agency said the weather will turn chilly again Tuesday night when another continental cold air mass arrives, potentially dropping temperatures to single digits, and its effects are expected to be felt until Friday.

Most of Taiwan will see partly cloudy to sunny skies Tuesday, though sporadic rainfall is expected along Keelung's northern coast, in northeastern and eastern Taiwan, and in mountainous areas of Greater Taipei, the CWA said.