TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — A continental cold air mass set to arrive Friday (Feb. 24) will see temperatures as low as 8 degrees Celsius in flat areas of Taiwan on the first two days of the 228 Memorial Day holiday.
According to the Central Weather Bureau (CWB), moisture will increase slightly Thursday (Feb. 23) and the chance of rain throughout the day from Taoyuan City and areas north and the eastern half of the country is higher. The northern coast of Keelung City, Yilan County, and mountainous areas of Greater Taipei are likely to see continuous rainfall.
In terms of temperature, the western half of the country and Yilan have a low temperature of 14 to 16 C, eastern Taiwan will see a low of about 18 C, and northern Taiwan will have a high temperature of 18 to 22 C due to more cloud cover. The weather will be warmer in other areas with highs climbing to 24 to 27 C and even higher in inland areas of the south.
The CWB said that a "strong continental cold air mass" will move in from the north on Friday (Feb. 24) and the weather in northern Taiwan will start to turn cold in the afternoon. On Saturday and Sunday (Feb. 25-26), the strong continental cold air mass will affect central Taiwan and areas north, the northeast, and east, while other areas will also be cold in the mornings and evenings.
As for precipitation, localized showers in northern areas and the eastern half are likely, while skies will be partly cloudy to sunny in other areas. Starting on Monday (Feb. 27), the continental cold air mass will start to weaken, and the temperature will gradually rise.
Meteorologist Wu De-rong (吳德榮) said in his daily report that cold air will gradually move southward Friday, and it will begin to rain the temperature will start to drop in the north and east. In northern Taiwan, Wu predicted that conditions will get colder and wetter the later it gets that day.
At the start of the 228 Memorial Day long weekend on Saturday and Sunday, Wu predicted that temperatures will drop to their lowest level. He said northern Taiwan will be cold and other areas will be cold in the mornings and evenings.
Wu forecast that flat areas in some counties and cities could experience a low temperature of about 8 C. According to Wu, the intensity of the cold front is being adjusted in the models of various countries.
He said that there is a chance of the front developing into a "strong continental cold air mass" and should be closely observed. On Monday and Tuesday (Feb. 28), Wu predicted the cold front will weaken and temperatures will gradually start to rise.
