Weather front to bring rain on Lunar New Year's Eve

Taipei, Feb. 16 (CNA) As a weather front approaches Taiwan, increasing moisture is expected to bring rain on Monday, Lunar New Year's Eve, according to the Central Weather Administration (CWA).

The CWA said strengthening seasonal northeasterly winds are expected to result in heavier precipitation in Keelung and northern coastal areas, particularly on Monday afternoon, while brief rain is possible in Taoyuan, areas north of Taoyuan, eastern Taiwan, the Hengchun Peninsula in the south, as well as the outlying Matsu islands.

Elsewhere, cloudy to sunny skies are likely to prevail on Monday, the CWA said.

The seasonal winds are expected to push daytime temperatures in northern Taiwan down to between 21 and 23 degrees Celsius on Monday.

Other areas are expected to feel less impact from the seasonal winds, with daytime highs forecast to range from 23 to 27 degrees between Taitung and Tainan and in eastern Taiwan, while temperatures of 28 to 30 degrees are likely in Kaohsiung and Pingtung in the south, the CWA said.

The CWA urged the public to remain alert to a wide day-night temperature gap, with temperatures forecast to drop to between 15 and 17 degrees in northern Taiwan and Yilan in the northeast, and 16 to 19 degrees in the south and in Hualien and Taitung in the east.

The weather agency has issued a strong wind advisory for New Taipei, Taoyuan, Hsinchu, Miaoli, Taichung, Changhua, Yunlin, Chiayi, Tainan, Pingtung and Taitung, as well as the outlying islands of Penghu and Matsu.

The CWA said the seasonal wind system is expected to continue affecting Taiwan on Tuesday, the first day of the Year of the Horse, with weather in the north and northeast remaining relatively cool.