Mercury forecast to soar past 30°C across most of Taiwan Thursday

Taipei, March 27 (CNA) Warm southwesterly winds are expected to push temperatures to highs of 30-34 degrees Celsius across most of Taiwan on Thursday, according to the Central Weather Administration (CWA).

The CWA has issued a heat alert, warning that daytime temperatures are likely to rise above 36 degrees in some areas, including the cities and counties of Tainan, Kaohsiung, Pingtung and Taitung in the south and southeast.

Taitung may also see the effects of foehn winds, which are hot dry southwesterly winds that usually come down the Central Mountain Range into the lower regions, the CWA said.

Wu Der-rong (吳德榮), an independent meteorologist, said the warm spell will break Friday with the approach of a weather system, which will bring cooler temperatures to most of Taiwan and rain to the northern regions.

The CWA's forecast for Friday shows lows of 14-20 degrees in northern Taiwan, 16-22 degrees in central areas, and 20-25 degrees in the south.

Meanwhile, according to Wu, the rainy conditions will expand to central regions of the country by Saturday and to mountainous areas in the south by Sunday.

On Monday, the effects of the cold air system will start to weaken, allowing temperatures to rise again slightly, he said.

However, rain is likely to continue in some areas until Wednesday, after which the weather across most of Taiwan is expected to stabilize, he added.