Seasonal winds expected to send mercury to 14°C Wednesday night

Taipei, March 5 (CNA) Temperatures in Taiwan will fall to as low as 14 degrees Celsius on Wednesday night as seasonal northeasterly winds bring cooler air to the island, according to the Central Weather Administration (CWA).

Following days of warmer weather, the CWA forecast cooler daytime temperatures around Taiwan on Wednesday, with highs of 19-20 degrees in the north, 23-25 degrees in central Taiwan, and 26-29 degrees in the south expected.

After dusk, however, the seasonal winds will pick up, sending the mercury to 14-16 degrees in the north and northeast and 17-20 degrees elsewhere around Taiwan, the CWA said.

Nighttime temperatures on Taiwan's outlying islands are forecast to hit 16-20 degrees in Penghu, 13-17 degrees in Kinmen, and 9-12 degrees in Matsu.

The CWA has issued a heavy rain advisory for 20 of the country's 22 cities and counties, indicating an accumulated rainfall exceeding 80 millimeters over a 24-hour period or hourly rainfall exceeding 40 millimeters.

The only two counties not affected by the advisory are the outlying Kinmen and Lienchiang (Matsu) counties.

The CWA also warned of prolonged bouts of heavy precipitation and lightning strikes caused by unstable weather conditions, brought about in part by a cloud system from southern China that will further destabilize the weather.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Environment said the air quality around Taiwan will be mostly "fair" to "good" Wednesday as the seasonal winds help disperse pollutants in the air.