Mercury could fall to 17°C in northern Taiwan on seasonal winds: CWA

Taipei, Sept. 8 (CNA) Temperatures in northern Taiwan are forecast to fall as low as 17 degrees Celsius in the coming days with the arrival of this autumn's first northeasterly wind system, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said Tuesday.

CWA forecaster Tseng Chao-cheng (曾昭誠) told CNA that the seasonal winds are expected to affect Taiwan from Wednesday through Friday, with northern Taiwan likely to feel the strongest impact

Temperatures in the north from nighttime through early morning are forecast to fall to 17-20 degrees due to possible radiative cooling, which refers to the cooling of the ground under clear skies, light winds and dry conditions, Tseng said.

Elsewhere, nighttime and early morning temperatures from Wednesday through Friday could range from 21 to 24 degrees in central Taiwan and hover around 24-25 degrees in the south, Tseng said.

Daytime highs are expected to reach 30-32 degrees Wednesday to Thursday before falling by 1-2 degrees on Friday, Tseng added.

Tseng said the approaching seasonal winds are likely to bring moisture to windward areas north of Taoyuan and eastern Taiwan, with heavier rainfall forecast along the north coast and in the eastern counties of Yilan and Hualien on Friday.

The approaching seasonal winds are likely to weaken over the weekend, but Greater Taipei and eastern Taiwan could see brief showers, while sporadic showers are also possible in the south, Tseng said.

Cloudy skies are forecast elsewhere over the weekend, with afternoon showers possible, Tseng said.

From Monday to Tuesday, moisture is expected to decrease as rainfall eases, Tseng said.