More cold warnings issued in northern Taiwan as chilly weather lingers

Taipei, Dec. 22 (CNA) Taiwan's weather agency issued more "cold surge" temperature warnings for northern parts of the country on Sunday but forecast that temperatures will pick up over the coming days.

The Central Weather Administration (CWA) issued an orange-level advisory -- indicating "very cold" conditions with temperatures remaining around or below 10 degrees Celsius -- for areas in New Taipei and Yilan County.

It also issued a yellow-level advisory -- indicating "cold" conditions with minimum temperatures potentially dropping below 10 degrees -- for certain parts of Hsinchu and Miaoli countries.

The warnings are in effect from Sunday morning to Sunday evening on the same day, according to the CWA's website.

The advisories follow other "cold surge" warnings for northern parts of the country issued over the past few days, as a cold air mass originating from China continues to keep temperatures down in Taiwan.

On Sunday, northern Taiwan can expect gloomy cloud cover and temperatures ranging from 12-16 degrees Celsius, with light, localized rain forecast in Keelung and other north and eastern areas, the CWA said.

Central parts of the country will be generally warmer on Sunday, the CWA forecast, with temperatures under cloudy skies ranging from 13-19 degrees in Taichung, 15-18 degrees in Hualien County, and 12-20 degrees in Nantou County.

Southern Taiwan will enjoy milder weather with sunshine breaking through at times in Tainan, Kaohsiung and Pingtung County and temperatures ranging from 14-25 degrees on Sunday.

Meanwhile, Taiwan's outlying island counties of Lienchiang (the Matsu islands) and Kinmen will experience mostly clear conditions and chilly temperatures of 9-14 degrees, CWA forecasts indicate, with Penghu County also expecting cloudy skies over 15-17 degree conditions.

However, temperatures in Taiwan are forecast to rise after Sunday, though overcast conditions may linger.

Taipei, for instance, can expect highs of 15 degrees on Sunday, 18 degrees on Monday, 19 degrees on Tuesday, and 24 degrees on Wednesday, according to CWA predictions, though sunshine there will likely remain mostly obscured by cloud cover.

By Wednesday, most parts of southern, central, and western Taiwan are expected to see sunny skies, though partly or mostly cloudy conditions are likely to remain in northern and eastern Taiwan for most of the next seven days.