Mercury drops to 5°C in Hsinchu's Guanxi Township: CWA

Taipei, March 20 (CNA) A temperature of 5 degrees Celsius was recorded in Hsinchu County's Guanxi Township early Thursday, the lowest in a non-mountainous area in Taiwan for the day so far, as the country remained in the grip of a continental cold air mass, according to the Central Weather Administration (CWA).

The record low of 5 degrees in Guanxi Township was followed by 5.2 degrees in Miaoli County's Sanwan Township, and 6.5 degrees in New Taipei's Shiding District, CWA data showed.

The CWA has issued cold surge advisories, effective until late Thursday morning, warning of temperatures below 10 degrees in various cities and counties in Taiwan, including New Taipei, Taipei, Taoyuan, Taichung and Yilan.

The effects of the cold air mass are expected to weaken during the day, and temperatures will rise slightly from the day before, the CWA said.

Highs of 18-20 degrees are forecast in the north, and 23-24 degrees in the rest of the country, according to the CWA.

Sunny skies will emerge Thursday across much of the country, with the likelihood of some scattered showers in Hualien and Taitung counties in the east, the CWA said.

The weather is expected to get progressively warmer over the next two days, but the mercury will drop sharply at night due to a radiative cooling effect, the CWA has forecast.