Snow caps Hehuanshan; cold advisories issued for northern Taiwan

Taipei, Jan. 19 (CNA) A thin coat of snow was seen on Hehuanshan (Mt. Hehuan) in central Taiwan Sunday morning as temperatures fell under zero degrees Celsius.

Data compiled by the Central Weather Administration (CWA) showed that a temperature of -0.3 degree C. was recorded at the agency's weather monitoring site at the Hehuanshan Service Station at 1:46 a.m. Sunday.

It began snowing in Hehuanshan around 5 a.m. when the temperature was zero degrees. Approximately 0.8 centimeters of snow accumulated at Songsyue Lodge, located at an elevation of 3,150 meters above sea level, according to the lodge's assistant manager, Wu Jui-chieh (吳瑞結).

The picturesque scenery attracted lots of visitors keen to enjoy the wintry weather.

Wu called on those driving up the mountain to be cautious and take precautions.

The Highway Bureau's Central Region Branch Office said in a statement that traffic resumed at 7 a.m. on Sunday in the Hehuanshan section of the Provincial Highway 14A from Tsiufeng (18 kilometer mark) to Dayuling (41.5km mark), which had been closed Saturday night.

However, the office cautioned that some roads between Kunyang (29km point) and Dayuling (41.5km mark) were still icy and that snow chains were needed.

The office added that it would take the weather conditions into account before deciding it was safe to allow general traffic in this section.

Meanwhile, the CWA on Sunday issued cold surge advisories for parts of northern Taiwan and the outlying Kinmen county.

Between late Sunday night and early Monday morning, temperatures in New Taipei as well as Hsinchu, Miaoli and Kinmen counties could dip below 10 degrees, according to the CWA.

Temperatures are set to remain cold on Monday and Tuesday in northern and northeastern Taiwan, the CWA forecast.