Cooler weather forecast for Taiwan early next week

Taipei, Nov. 13 (CNA) Temperatures are expected to drop across Taiwan early next week, as northeasterly winds strengthen, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said Thursday.

The mercury is forecast to drop to lows of 15-17 degrees Celsius in northern and central Taiwan over two days, starting Tuesday, and to 19-20 degrees in the south as well as in Taitung County in the southeast, according to the CWA.

Independent meteorologist Wu Der-rong (吳德榮) said the winds will be the coldest so far this autumn, sending temperatures in low-lying areas north of Miaoli County to around 12 degrees between Tuesday night and early Wednesday.

The winds are forecast to weaken from Nov. 19, after which temperatures will gradually rise again, Wu said.

Meanwhile, the CWA said wet weather is expected to persist nationwide throughout Thursday due to the combined effects of a tropical depression and northeasterly winds.

An extremely heavy rain advisory has been issued for parts of Keelung and New Taipei, warning of 24-hour accumulated rainfall exceeding 200 millimeters, or three-hour accumulated rainfall of over 100 millimeters.

Taipei is under a heavy rain alert, which projects at least 80 millimeters of rain in 24 hours, or 40 millimeters in one hour.

The rain advisories will remain in effect through Thursday night, according to the CWA.

Tropical Storm Fung-Wong, which made landfall in Pingtung's Hengchun Township at 7:40 p.m. Wednesday, had weakened to a tropical depression, the CWA said.

In the wake of Fung-Wong, 95 people in Taiwan were reported injured, and 489 disaster incidents had been reported nationwide as of 8 a.m. Thursday, according to the latest data from the Central Emergency Operation Center.