Taiwan's weather to turn stable Wednesday

Taipei, Dec. 25 (CNA) Taiwan can expect more stable weather conditions and higher temperatures Wednesday, but colder air will return by Thursday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) has forecast.

With the strength of a continental cold air mass easing, daytime temperatures on Christmas Day will hit 21-23 degrees Celsius in northern and northeastern Taiwan and 24-26 degrees around the rest of the island, the CWA forecast early Wednesday.

Those temperatures would be up from Tuesday, when daytime highs reached 18-21 degrees.

Most of Taiwan will also see cloudy to sunny skies, though sporadic showers are still possible in Keelung, along the northeastern coast, and in eastern Taiwan, the CWA said.

Wednesday's warmer conditions could be short-lived, however, as cold air is forecast to return to Taiwan on Thursday as seasonal northeasterly winds strengthen, according to the agency.

That will likely be followed by another continental cold air mass expected to move in Friday, sending the mercury plunging to 11-12 degrees in the northern half of Taiwan and 12-14 degrees in the southern half, the CWA forecast.

Some areas could even experience temperatures below 10 degrees, the agency said.

The colder temperatures could rebound starting Monday (Dec. 30) as the cold air mass weakens and partly cloudy to sunny skies prevail around Taiwan, before the next wave of chilly weather sets in Jan. 1-2, the CWA forecast.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Environment said the air quality around Taiwan will be mostly "fair" to "good" Wednesday.