Mercury to dip to 8°C as strong cold air mass arrives: CWA

Taipei, Jan. 19 (CNA) A strong continental cold air mass is set to arrive in Taiwan late Monday, potentially sending temperatures in some low-lying areas down to as low as 8 degrees Celsius from Wednesday through Friday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said.

CWA forecaster Cheng Chieh-jen (鄭傑仁) said the system will move southward overnight, bringing a gradual temperature decline before a sharper drop from Tuesday afternoon.

Temperatures in northern Taiwan and Yilan are expected to fall to around 15-16 degrees overnight into Tuesday, with daytime highs on Tuesday limited to 17-18 degrees, Cheng said.

Central and southern Taiwan will cool more slowly, with daytime highs still reaching 24-25 degrees on Tuesday, he said.

Rainfall is forecast to peak from Monday night through Tuesday, Cheng said, adding that the CWA has issued a heavy rain advisory warning for short-duration intense rainfall for the Keelung coast and mountainous areas of Taipei and New Taipei.

From Wednesday to Friday, when the cold air mass reaches peak strength, low temperatures in plains areas north of Tainan are forecast to range between 10 and 12 degrees, while Kaohsiung, Pingtung and eastern Taiwan will see lows of around 13-15 degrees.

In some open or near-mountain low-lying areas, temperatures could dip to 8-10 degrees, the forecaster said.

Daytime temperatures during this period will remain chilly in the north at around 14-16 degrees, while central and southern Taiwan may see slightly warmer daytime highs of 17-22 degrees, Cheng said.

The cold air mass is expected to weaken over the weekend, with temperatures rebounding during the day but remaining cold in the mornings and evenings.

Northern Taiwan is forecast to see lows of 11-15 degrees, with daytime highs recovering to 19-22 degrees, according to Cheng.

If the cold air mass is accompanied by enough moisture, snowfall is possible early in the morning Wednesday to Friday at elevations above 2,000 meters in northern Taiwan and above 3,000 meters in central Taiwan and Hualien, Cheng said.

More stable weather and further warming are forecast from next Monday, Cheng said.