TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — As a severe cold wave sweeps across Taiwan, snowfall was reported at several locations in the country, including the Mingchih forest recreation area in Yilan County and high-elevation areas in Jianshi Township, Hsinchu County.



Snowflakes mixed with sleet fell at the Mingchih forest recreation area, which has an elevation of 1,200 meters above sea level, on Wednesday morning (Jan. 25), according to Lealea Makauy Ecological Park, CNA reported.

According to the park, temperatures dipped to about -2 degrees Celsius at the forest recreation area at around 6 a.m.. Snow mixed with sleet began to fall, and the ground at the main scenic spots around the Mingchih Lake was covered with the white stuff, the report said. The snow and sleet mixture continued to fall until nearly 11 a.m., the park added.

The owner of a restaurant (綠木頭) located near the Yulao Lookout at an altitude of 1,450 meters above sea level shared a video clip on the restaurant’s Facebook page, showing snow falling outside the restaurant at around 7 p.m. Tuesday night.

Hsinchu County Councilor Liu Chien-ming (劉建民) told CNA that high-elevation areas in Jianshi Township, such as Llyung, Tayax villages and Lidong Mountain, had seen snowfall Tuesday evening into midnight, but as the moisture was not sufficient, there was no snow cover to speak of.

(Lealea Makauy Ecological Park photo)

(Facebook, 綠木頭 video)

A snowcapped forest in Jianshi Township, Hsinchu County on Jan. 25, 2023. (CNA photo)