Apparent temperature in Taipei to drop to 3 degrees on Friday

禮拜五台北市體感溫度降至3度

Snow possible at elevations of 1,000-2,000 meters in north as cold wave arrives


TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — A cold wave expected to arrive in Taiwan on Thursday (Jan. 7) will send temperatures plunging to between 7 and 10 degrees Celsius Friday and Saturday (Jan. 8-9), with the apparent temperature dropping to as low as 3 degrees in Greater Taipei.

The Central Weather Bureau (CWB) predicts that a northeast monsoon will strengthen on Wednesday (Jan. 6) and temperatures in the northern part of the country will gradually drop, while temperatures in central and southern regions will only dip slightly. Temperatures will begin to plummet significantly as a cold wave blows down from the north on Thursday, when lows will range between 13 and 14 degrees in the morning and about 10 degrees in the evening.

The weather bureau forecasts that the cold wave will reach its peak on Friday and Saturday. During that period, lows in Tainan and areas in north and northeastern Taiwan will range from between 7 and 10 degrees, while other areas will reach 12 degrees.

Open areas could see even lower temperatures. Warmer weather is not expected to return to the country until Sunday (Jan. 10).

In addition, the CWB estimates that Wednesday morning there will be strong gusts ranging between level 8 and 9 on the Beaufort scale in Tainan and areas north and in eastern Taiwan (including Orchid Island and Green Island), the Hengchun Peninsula, Penghu, Kinmen, and Matsu. Wednesday afternoon, there will be strong gusts between level 9 and 10 in open coastal areas between Taoyuan and Tainan and in eastern Taiwan, the southeast, the Hengchun Peninsula, Penghu, Kinmen, and Matsu. The coasts of these areas are also expected to see large waves.

Due to strong winds and rainfall in coastal areas, the temperature will feel even lower. The CWB predicts that on Friday and Saturday, the apparent temperature in Taoyuan, Greater Taipei, and the rest of northern Taiwan will drop to 3 or 4 degrees.

As for precipitation, the CWB forecasts that rainfall will likely increase on Wednesday, especially on the north coast of Keelung, in mountainous areas of Greater Taipei, and in Yilan. Local heavy rains are likely until Thursday, while mountainous areas of the central and southern regions could also see rain. The rains are expected to ease up by Friday, but further observation is needed to have a higher degree of certainty.

According to the CWB, due to the arrival of the cold wave, lower temperatures, and moisture on Thursday and Friday, mountainous areas in the north at altitudes of between 1,000 and 2,000 meters may see snow. Due to the slightly higher temperatures, only mountainous areas of central and southern Taiwan above 3,000 m may see snowfall.

As Yangmingshan's Datunshan is 1,000-m high, snow is possible but not likely, according to the CWB. Snowfall is more likely in higher mountains such as Lalashan and Taipingshan.