Early morning fog blankets northern Taiwan, Kinmen, Matsu: CWA

Taipei, March 23 (CNA) Fog covered parts of northern Taiwan and the outlying Kinmen and Matsu islands early Monday morning, before lifting a few hours later, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said, forecasting similar conditions for those areas in the evening.

At 8:40 a.m. Monday, the CWA issued a dense fog advisory for Matsu, Kinmen, northern Taiwan, and areas of western Taiwan, from Yunlin to Tainan, warning that fog and low clouds would affect visibility early in the morning and in the evening.

As of that time, visibility had dropped to about 200 meters in Keelung, Taoyuan, Hsinchu County, and Matsu, before gradually improving later in the morning, the CWA said, attributing the weather conditions to a weak frontal system lingering over northern Taiwan.

Meanwhile, the CWA forecast brief localized showers along the Keelung north coast, in the Yilan-Hualien area, and in mountainous areas of Greater Taipei on Monday.

From Taoyuan to Kaohsiung, the weather will be mostly cloudy to sunny, with isolated afternoon showers in the mountainous areas of southern Taiwan, the CWA said.

Temperatures are expected to range from 23 to 27 degrees Celsius in northern Taiwan, 27 to 29 degrees in Hualien and Taitung, and 27 to 31 degrees in central and southern Taiwan, while lows across the island will be about 17 to 21 degrees, the CWA said.

According to independent meteorologist Wu Der-rong (吳德榮), the latest European model simulations indicate that a weak frontal system that will linger over the waters north of Taiwan on Monday and Tuesday.

While the weather across Taiwan will be generally sunny and stable over the two days, foggy conditions can be expected, he said.

Daytime temperatures will be relatively warm, with "summer-like" highs of over 33 degrees in central and southern Taiwan, but mornings and evenings will be cooler, Wu said.