Taiwan on track for 2nd coldest winter since 2000

Taipei, Feb. 25 (CNA) Taiwan is on track to see its second-coldest winter since 2000, with an average December to February temperature of 17.84 degrees Celsius, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said Tuesday.

The 17.84-degree figure was second only to 2011, when an average of 17.58 degrees was recorded, CWA Weather Forecast Center Director Chen Yi-liang (陳怡良) said at a news conference.

It was also 0.84 degrees colder than Taiwan's historical average December to February temperature of 18.68 degrees, he said.

The temperature data is based on the averages at Taiwan's 11 low-elevation weather stations: Keelung, Taipei, Hsinchu, Taichung, Tainan, Hengchun, Dawu, Taitung, Chenggong, Hualien and Yilan.

In Taipei specifically, the 39 days in which temperatures dropped to 14 degrees or below was also the most in the past nine years, Chen noted.

Meanwhile, Chen said Taiwan saw an "uneven" distribution of rainfall during that three-month period, with average to above average precipitation levels in the south and less rain in the north.

Nationally, the average 190.7 millimeters of rainfall over the winter was only around 70 percent of the historical average of 260.6 mm, while the average number of rainy days -- 25.5 -- was the fourth-lowest since 1951, according to Chen.

Spring forecast

Looking ahead, the CWA forecast that Taiwan will see more or less average temperatures from March through May, with average to slightly lower levels of rainfall.

As the current La Nina weather pattern continues to weaken in the Pacific Ocean, temperatures during the spring are expected to return to normal, Chen said.

Despite that overall trend, Taiwan could still be impacted by weather systems bringing cold weather during March, Chen said.

In terms of precipitation, rainfall levels in March and April will likely be in the low-to-average range, while May, which typically marks the start of the so-called "plum rain" season, remains uncertain, Chen said.

Spring is typically a dry season in Taiwan, according to Chen.

Plum rain season refers to a yearly period of sustained rainfall from late spring to early summer.