Taipei's Yangmingshan might see snow this weekend

台北陽明山周末可望降雪

Yangmingshan may see its first snow in two years


TAIPEI (Taiwan News) -- As the strongest cold surge of the winter is poised to strike Taiwan, Taipei's Yangminshan could see its first snowfall in two years, reported UDN.

A new cold surge that is headed toward Taiwan, snowfall in mountainous areas of Taiwan above 1,000 meters is possible over the weekend, including Taipei's Yangmingshan, the tallest peak of which is 1,120 in height, according to Meteorology expert and Tzu Chi volunteer Peng Chi-ming (彭啟明). However, mountains with elevations above 1,500 to 2,000 have a higher likelihood of seeing snow, said Peng.

The last time Yangminshan saw snowfall was almost exactly two years ago in late January of 2016, when the mountain saw 5 centimeters of snow.

High mountains in central Taiwan have already seen snowfall over the past two days and it is anticipated that the more snow will be on the way over the next two to three days. Drivers eager to visit mountainous areas to see the snow scenery are urged to have chains for the tires to deal with the icy conditions and to bring plenty of warm clothes, including a thick coat, wool hat and gloves.

As the cold surge settles into Taiwan over the weekend, snowfall could still be possible on mountains over 2,000 meters throughout Taiwan, while in northern and eastern Taiwan, elevations over 1,000 meters in height also could see snow. Over the coming week, high mountains with an elevation over 3,000 meters could see more snowfall if there is sufficient moisture and temperatures maintain their current cold trends, according to the Central Weather Bureau.

Cold temperatures on the way:

As frigid air from the current cold wave coming from the north increased in intensity last night, northern Taiwan saw temperatures drop to 9 to 10 degrees Celsius and the temperature will stay around 10 degrees today. Tomorrow night, another even stronger cold surge will start to affect Taiwan and will linger throughout the weekend before finally dissipating by Monday or Tuesday. In the meantime, people are advised to take extra precautions to stay warm.

Peng said the wet weather caused by moisture pouring in from southern China, will start to dissipate in northern Taiwan today, though central and southern Taiwan may still see scattered showers. However, starting tomorrow and continuing into Saturday, wet conditions will return to Miaoli County and all points north.

Peng predicts that the peak of the approaching cold surge could result in the lowest temperatures being seen on Sunday or early Monday morning, with temperatures plunging down to 7 or 8 degrees and one to two degrees colder in open areas of northern Taiwan. Meanwhile, the mercury in central and southern Taiwan may dip down to 10 degrees, with no respite from the cold until Monday or Tuesday.