Mercury set to drop below 10°C in northern, central Taiwan on Friday

Taipei, Jan. 9 (CNA) The Central Weather Administration (CWA) on Thursday issued cold surge advisories, warning that temperatures could drop below 10 degrees Celsius in parts of central and northern Taiwan on Friday.

An orange-level advisory -- indicating "very cold" conditions with temperatures remaining around or below 10 degrees Celsius -- has been issued for the cities of Taipei, New Taipei, Keelung, Taoyuan, as well as Hsinchu and Yilan counties.

The CWA also issued a yellow-level advisory -- indicating "cold" conditions with minimum temperatures potentially dropping below 10 degrees -- for Taichung City, and the counties of Miaoli, Changhua, Nantou, Yunlin, Chiayi and Kinmen.

Both orange and yellow-level warnings are in effect until Friday night, according to the CWA's website.

Temperature-wise, highs of 13-15 degrees are forecast in northern and northeastern areas of the country on Friday, and 19-22 degrees elsewhere, CWA forecaster Lin Ting-yi (林定宜) said.

The cold and wet weather is expected to continue through Saturday with brief showers forecast in northern and eastern parts of Taiwan as well as the Hengchun Peninsula in the south, Lin said, adding that the weather will turn dry beginning Sunday.

The cold air mass is forecast to weaken on Monday, with temperature highs of 21 degrees forecast in the north, and 23-24 degrees in central and southern Taiwan, he added.

In addition, with the moisture carried by the cold air mass, there is a chance of snow before Saturday on mountains over an elevation of 2,000 meters in the north and northeast, Lin said, while mountains higher than 2,500 meters in other parts of the country could also see snow before the end of the week.