Sunny skies to give way to showers in northern Taiwan Thursday evening: CWA

Taipei, March 26 (CNA) Taiwan will see mostly sunny to cloudy skies on Thursday, but sporadic rain and thunderstorms are expected in northern areas of the country in the evening, as a weather front approaches, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said.

Occasional showers are also forecast for eastern Taiwan and the Hengchun Peninsula, while a heavy rain advisory has been issued for Hualien County, warning of rainfall exceeding 80 millimeters in 24 hours or 40 mm in one hour, according to the CWA.

Daytime highs are expected to reach around 26 degrees Celsius in northern Taiwan and exceed 30 degrees in central and southern regions on Thursday. Temperatures will drop to about 18 degrees in the north in the evening and will remain above 20 degrees in the south, the CWA said.

On Friday, the mercury will fall slightly to between 18 and 23 degrees in northern Taiwan, while central and southern regions will see temperatures ranging from 19 to 32 degrees, the CWA forecast. Rain is expected to spread to the central and eastern areas, as well as the Hengchun Peninsula, with possible afternoon showers in mountainous regions, it said.

Over the weekend, daytime highs in the north will rebound to 25-27 degrees, while large temperature swings will persist in central and southern Taiwan, ranging from 19 to 31 degrees, according to the CWA.

The skies will be mostly sunny to cloudy across much of the island on the weekend, though afternoon showers are likely in mountainous areas, the CWA said. Isolated rain is forecast for northern and eastern Taiwan and the Hengchun Peninsula on Saturday and will move to eastern Taiwan and the south on Sunday, according to the CWA.

Similar conditions will prevail on Monday, before another weather front arrives Tuesday, bringing rain to northern and eastern Taiwan, the Hengchun Peninsula, and mountainous areas in the south, the CWA said.