TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The mercury hit 41.6 degrees Celsius in Guangfu Village, Hualien County, on Sunday (Aug. 21), the highest recorded temperature in Taiwan so far this year.

This was just a fraction or so higher than the 41.4 C registered in the same county's Zhuoxi Village on July 22, UDN reported. Forecaster Wu Der-rong (吳德榮), at National Central University, said European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) simulations showed there will be hot and dry air flowing from the East China Sea on Monday (Aug. 22) and Tuesday. This will make conditions mainly cloudless, sunny, and hot.

Wu warned of heat damage, with temperatures ranging from 24-38 C in the north on Monday, 24-27 C in the central mountain region, 23-26 C in the south, and 21-39 in the east. The Central Weather Bureau (CWB) issued heat warnings (three days of temperatures above 38 C) for Hualien and Taitung counties.

Wu also addressed the two tropical storms forming around Taiwan. The first, a tropical depression east of the Philippines could be upgraded to a tropical storm, and would be named Ma-on. The second tropical depression was about 3,000 kilometers away from east ​​Taiwan. Neither are expected to hit Taiwan directly.

If there are no typhoon warnings by the end of August, it will be the first time Taiwan has no typhoons between January and August for three years in a row, according to the CWB.

There are two tropical depressions forming in the Pacific Ocean around Taiwan, but neither are expected to hit Taiwan directly. (CWB photo)

Heatwave in Hualien. (Taiwan News, Jules Quartly photo)