Cold air mass to weaken in Taiwan on Sunday but another round expected

Taipei, Jan. 3 (CNA) The current continental cold air mass is forecast to weaken on Sunday, but the next round is expected to move in on Monday, lowering temperatures in Taiwan for most of next week, according to the Central Weather Administration (CWA).

The CWA said daytime temperatures are forecast to recover to 21-22 degrees Celsius in northern Taiwan and 23-24 degrees in central and southern Taiwan on Sunday, before falling to 12-13 degrees and even as low as 10 degrees at night.

The CWA added that central and southern Taiwan is likely to feel the pinch from radiative cooling, which refers to the cooling of the ground under clear skies, light winds and dry conditions.

However, another round of continental cold air mass is set to approach Taiwan on Monday, with more apparent effects expected from Wednesday to Friday, the CWA said.

According to the CWA, a "yellow" cold surge alert has been issued from Saturday to Sunday morning in New Taipei, Taoyuan and Hsinchu cities in the north, Nantou County in central Taiwan, Yulin County in the south, Yilan County in the east as well as outlying Kinmen islands, indicating ground-level temperatures will fall to around 10 degrees.

Meanwhile, air quality across most of Taiwan is moderate to good over the weekend, according to the Ministry of Environment.