Sunny, cloudy skies forecast for most of Taiwan Thursday, Friday

Taipei, April 3 (CNA) Sunny to cloudy weather will prevail across most of Taiwan on Thursday, with occasional showers in eastern parts of the country and on the Hengchun Peninsula in the south, according to the Central Weather Administration (CWA).

Mountainous areas south of Hsinchu County are also likely to see some scattered showers, the CWA said Thursday, following days of heavy rains in Taiwan.

Meanwhile, as a cold air mass weakens, daytime temperatures are expected to rise Thursday to 24-27 degrees Celsius in the western half of Taiwan, and 21-23 degrees in the eastern half, the CWA said.

However, temperatures will drop steeply at night to lows of 11-14 degrees in northern and central Taiwan and in Yilan in the northeast, and to 15-17 degrees in the south and in Hualien and Taitung in the east, the CWA warned.

The CWA also warned of strong northeasterly winds on Thursday, with sustained speeds of 39-49 kilometers per hour and gusts of at least 62 kph in coastal areas of Taoyuan, Hsinchu, the Hengchun Peninsula, and Penghu and Orchid islands.

The current weather conditions are expected to continue into Friday, but temperatures will remain chilly in central and northern parts of the country in the early morning due to a radiative cooling effect, the CWA said.

From Saturday through Wednesday next week, isolated showers can be expected in northern and eastern parts of Taiwan and on the Hengchun Peninsula, as well as in mountainous areas of central and southern Taiwan, the CWA has forecast.