Two cold waves headed for Taiwan this week

本周兩波冷氣團台灣報到

Two cold waves are poised to blast into Taiwan this week, strongest due on Thursday


TAIPEI (Taiwan News) -- Though Taiwan is experiencing balmy, spring-like weather during the day (March 5), the mercury is set to plunge tonight as the first of two cold waves are poised to strike the country, with the coldest yet to come on Thursday.

The Central Weather Bureau (CWB) today said that today (March 5) though daytime temperatures will range between 28 and 31 degrees Celsius, starting from noon, northern and eastern Taiwan will start to see showers or thunderstorms. Mountainous areas of central and southern will also see occasional showers or thunderstorms, with mountainous areas of northern Taiwan to see greater rainfall.

A new cold front is expected to arrive in Taiwan in the latter half of the day today, which will be followed by a strengthened northeastern monsoon and cooler temperatures in northern and eastern parts of the country. The rest of the country will also soon see cooler temperatures ranging between 17 and 23 degrees.

In addition, before the cold front arrives, parts of southeastern Taiwan today are likely to see Foehn winds, therefore people are advised to beware of high temperatures. Meanwhile, the western outer islands of Taiwan, including Penghu, Kinmen and Matsu are likely to see local fog or low clouds, which will affect visibility. Travelers are advised to pay attention to traffic conditions and flight information to and from those islands.

Starting on Thursday (March 8), a continental cold air mass is expected to arrive, bringing with it increased rainfall. In addition to scattered showers in northern and southern Taiwan, central and southern parts of the country will also see scattered precipitation. As the stronger cold front arrives, temperatures across the island are expected to drop further.

From Friday through Sunday (March 9 - 11), the continental cold air mass will cause the mercury to drop down to 11 to 13 degrees Celsius from central to northern Taiwan as well as northeastern Taiwan. Meanwhile, southern and eastern Taiwan will see low temperatures ranging between 15 and 16 degrees.