Continental cold air mass brings snowfall to Yushan

Taipei, Dec. 26 (CNA) Snow fell on Yushan Friday morning as a continental cold air mass sent temperatures below freezing point on Taiwan's tallest mountain, according to the Central Weather Administration (CWA).

Snowflakes were seen on Yushan's North Peak between 6:28 a.m. and 6:38 a.m., but they did not fully cover the ground, and no accumulation was recorded, the administration said.

As of 7:42 a.m., the lowest temperature recorded across Taiwan was minus 5.5 degrees Celsius at Yushan's Fengkou observatory and minus 4.7 degrees at the Yushan observatory, CWA data showed.

In low-lying areas of the country, the lowest temperature recorded early Friday was 10.1 degrees in New Taipei's Shiding District, followed by 10.3 degrees in Taoyuan's Yangmei District.

The CWA issued cold surge advisories for areas in northern Taiwan and the outlying Kinmen County early Friday morning.

An "orange" alert was issued for parts of New Taipei and Yilan County, warning of possible sustained temperatures of around 10 degrees or lower. Taoyuan, Hsinchu County, Miaoli County and Kinmen were placed under a "yellow" alert, indicating that temperatures may fall below 10 degrees.

Temperatures on Friday are forecast to range from 10-16 degrees in northern Taiwan, 11-20 degrees in central areas, 13-24 degrees in the south, and 12-23 degrees in the east.

Meanwhile, due to increased moisture, brief showers are forecast for areas north of Taoyuan and in the northeast, with a chance of localized heavy rain along the Keelung coast, in Yilan County, and in mountainous areas of greater Taipei, according to the CWA.