TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — A cold front that arrived on Sunday (Jan. 21) is predicted to bring temperatures as low as 5 C in plains areas and snow to mountainous areas of northern and central Taiwan.
Meteorologist Daniel Wu (吳德榮) said the cold front on Monday evening (Jan. 22) will reach the definition of a cold wave (寒流), with temperatures at Taipei Weather Station at or below 10 C. Coastal areas could see the temperature dip to 7 C.
Starting Monday afternoon, a second wave of moisture will move in, and the area impacted by rainfall will gradually expand. Temperatures on Monday are expected to range from 14 to 7 C in the north, 9 to 21 C in central parts, 10 to 24 C in the south, and 9 to 21 C in the east.
Wu forecasted that on Tuesday, there would be localized rain in northern and eastern parts of the country. On Wednesday (Jan. 24), conditions will gradually turn "extremely dry and cold."
From Thursday to Sunday (Jan. 28), Wu said the cold air mass will gradually weaken, and temperatures will rise each day. During this period, the Greater Taipei area will experience mostly cloudy conditions, while areas south of Taoyuan will be sunny and stable. The eastern half of the country may see occasional, localized showers.
According to the latest European model, from Monday afternoon to Tuesday, the snow line in the north will gradually descend to around 1,000 m, while in the central part, it will drop to 2,000 m. In the high mountains of the central and northern parts of Taiwan, such as Taipingshan, Lalashan, and Hehuanshan, there is a high probability of snowfall.
In Taipei, Wu said there is also a chance of snow on Qishan and Datunshan. However, he said that Yangmingshan at 607 m is not at a sufficient elevation for snow.
