Rainfall forecast across Taiwan Wednesday

Taipei, April 23 (CNA) Most parts of Taiwan will experience rainfall Wednesday, with thunderstorms, strong gusts and lightning expected in northern and central Taiwan and the outlying Matsu Islands, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) has forecast.

The national weather agency predicted precipitation across northern and central Taiwan, the eastern half of Taiwan, and the Kinmen and Matsu islands (Lienchiang County).

The wet conditions are expected to bring a slight drop in daytime highs, with temperatures reaching around 29 to 30 degrees Celsius in northern Taiwan, Yilan County, and Hualien County; 31 to 32 degrees in central Taiwan and Taitung County; and up to 35 to 36 degrees in parts of southern Taiwan, the CWA said.

In its forecast, the CWA said outlying Penghu County would be mostly cloudy with temperatures ranging from 24 to 29 degrees, Kinmen County 22 to 28 degrees, and the Matsu islands 19 to 23 degrees.

Wu Der-rong (吳德榮), an independent meteorologist and adjunct associate professor at National Central University (NCU), said the latest data indicated that the weather front causing the rainy conditions would linger near northern Taiwan through Thursday.

Wu added that the front would shift southward on Friday and Saturday, bringing further rain to northern Taiwan and mountainous parts of southern Taiwan, and leading to a significant temperature drop.

He said the front would begin to recede on Sunday, though scattered showers would likely persist.