Cold surge warning issued for 18 Taiwan municipalities Thursday

Taipei, Jan. 8 (CNA) The Central Weather Administration (CWA) on Thursday issued a cold surge advisory for 18 cities and counties across Taiwan, warning of temperatures below 10 degrees Celsius during the day and into the night.

New Taipei, Taipei, Taoyuan and the counties of Yilan, Hsinchu, and Miaoli are expected to experience sustained temperatures of 10 degrees or lower, according to the CWA.

The mercury is likely to drop temporarily below 10 degrees in most other areas, except for Taitung, Pingtung, and the offshore counties of Penghu and Lienchiang, CWA data shows.

The cold temperatures are caused by a strong continental cold air mass, combined with radiative cooling, a process in which heat escapes from the ground into the atmosphere, according to the CWA.

Meanwhile, independent meteorologist Wu Der-rong (吳德榮) said that from Friday through next Wednesday, clearer skies can be expected, and he warned of large daytime-nighttime temperature swings across Taiwan during that period.

While sunny skies will prevail during the daytime, enhanced radiative cooling will lead to low temperatures at night and in the early morning, he said.