Cool, wet weather forecast for northern, eastern Taiwan

Taipei, March 6 (CNA) Cool and wet weather is expected to continue into next week in northern and eastern Taiwan due to the influence of seasonal northeasterly winds, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said Friday.

A heavy rain advisory was issued for New Taipei, Keelung and Yilan County Friday evening, with isolated heavy rain possible on Keelung's northern coast and in mountainous areas of Yilan County through midnight, the agency said.

A heavy rain advisory is issued when rainfall is forecast to exceed 80 millimeters in 24 hours or 40 millimeters in one hour, according to the CWA.

The current wave of northeasterly winds is expected to continue affecting Taiwan through Sunday, CWA forecaster Huang En-hung (黃恩鴻) told CNA.

Another wave of seasonal northeasterly winds arriving on Monday is expected to bring increased rainfall to Keelung, Yilan and Hualien County, Huang said.

The monsoon will ease briefly on Wednesday, when only the northern coast of Keelung, eastern Taiwan and Hengchun Peninsula will see occasional rain, before another wave arrives on Thursday, he added.

During that period, northern and eastern Taiwan are expected to remain damp and cool, while central and southern regions will be warmer during the day but cooler in the mornings and evenings, according to Huang.

Temperatures on Saturday in northern Taiwan will range from 16-17 degrees Celsius, with other regions seeing lows of 16-17 degrees and highs of 24-26 degrees, the CWA said.

Next week, northern Taiwan will record lows of 15-16 degrees and highs around 17 degrees, rising to about 20 degrees when the northeasterly monsoon eases on Sunday and Wednesday, said the CWA.

Temperatures in central and southern Taiwan and Hualien are expected to remain stable, with lows of 16-18 degrees and highs of 24-26 degrees, while highs in the south could reach 28 degrees, said Huang.

If moisture and temperatures align, mountainous areas above 3,000 meters could see isolated snowfall on Tuesday, Huang said.