Taipei logs hottest May temperature on record at 38.3°C

Taipei, May 28 (CNA) Temperatures at the Taipei weather station hit 38.3 degrees Celsius on Wednesday afternoon, the hottest May temperature recorded by the station since it was established in 1896, according to Taiwan's Central Weather Administration (CWA).

The temperature was recorded shortly before 3 p.m. at the station in Taipei's Zhongzheng District, surpassing the previous May record of 38.2 degrees set twice, on May 28, 2021 and May 27, 2018, CWA forecaster Tseng Chao-cheng (曾昭誠) told CNA.

Tseng attributed the extreme heat to the combined effects of a Pacific high-pressure system, reduced cloud cover and descending air currents brought by southwesterly winds, which pushed temperatures higher across the Taipei Basin.

Overnight, the heat also remained unusually intense, with the Taipei station recording a low of 28.7 degrees early Wednesday morning as the southwesterly winds slowed nighttime cooling, Tseng said.

Across Taiwan, the highest temperature Wednesday was recorded in Yujing District in Tainan at 39.8 degrees, while Xindian District in New Taipei reached 39.6 degrees, according to CWA data.

Similar conditions are forecast for Thursday. The CWA issued heat alerts for 12 cities and counties, saying that New Taipei, Tainan and Hualien could experience three consecutive days of temperatures exceeding 38 degrees Celsius.

Temperatures in Keelung, Taipei, Taoyuan, Hsinchu, Miaoli, Changhua, Kaohsiung, Pingtung and Taitung, meanwhile could exceed 38 degrees Celsius or remain above 36 degrees for three consecutive days, the CWA advisory warned.

As of 10:30 a.m., temperatures had already reached highs of 37.2 degrees in Kaohsiung's Jiaxian District and 37.0 degrees in Pingtung County's Zhutian Township.

The highest temperature recorded in Taipei on Thursday morning was 34 degrees in Xinyi District.

Independent meteorologist Wu Der-rong (吳德榮) said a seasonal rain front is expected to move southward on Friday, bringing rainfall and lower temperatures after several days of extreme heat.

Meanwhile, Lin Tzu-ping (林子平), head of National Cheng Kung University's Building and Climate Laboratory (BCLab), warned that Taipei's urban heat island effect has become increasingly severe, with nighttime temperatures remaining dangerously high in densely built areas.

According to the lab, temperatures in Taipei's Shilin District were still close to 30.6 degrees Celsius at 2 a.m. Wednesday, reflecting what researchers described as a "tropical night" pattern in which accumulated urban heat dissipates slowly after sunset.

The lab said prolonged nighttime heat can pose greater health risks than daytime heat because the human body is unable to cool effectively during sleep, increasing cardiovascular stress and the risk of heat-related illness, particularly among elderly residents and people without air conditioning.