Warmer, mostly dry weather forecast for Taiwan over next few days

Taipei, Sept. 24 (CNA) Taiwan is expected to see mostly sunny skies on Thursday and into the weekend, with daytime temperatures rising above 30 degrees Celsius in western Taiwan, according to the Central Weather Administration (CWA).

However, scattered showers are possible Thursday in some regions, including the north coast, the Greater Taipei area, and southern and eastern Taiwan, the CWA said.

Afternoon showers are also expected in mountainous areas on Thursday and Friday, the CWA said.

CWA forecaster Cheng Chieh-jen (鄭傑仁) told CNA on Thursday that the weather in Taiwan will remain mostly sunny through Sunday.

From Monday, areas north of Taoyuan could see sporadic showers, while mountainous areas may experience afternoon showers, he said.

Meanwhile, temperatures will rise slightly over the next few days, Cheng said, forecasting daytime highs of 31-34 degrees in western Taiwan and 28-32 degrees in the eastern region.

On Monday and Tuesday next week, nighttime lows are expected to fall to 22-26 degrees in northern Taiwan, but will remain around 24-27 degrees in most other parts of the country, he added.

Generally, the weather throughout Taiwan will be warm, with sunny to cloudy skies, during the four-day Mid-Autumn Festival holiday, Friday to Monday, according to forecasters.

On Thursday, the CWA said that a tropical storm located southeast of Taiwan was not expected to affect the country.

Tropical Storm Surigae is expected to strengthen and could develop into a typhoon as early as Friday, but the current forecast models indicate that it is unlikely to come close to Taiwan, the CWA said.

As of 8 a.m. Thursday, Surigae was located about 1,500 kilometers east-southeast of Taiwan, according to CWA data.

Cheng said the current forecast models show the storm turning north, with little chance of moving westward toward Taiwan.