TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Central Weather Bureau (CWB) Director-General Cheng Ming-dean (鄭明典) on Thursday (March 2) warned that air pollution from China will drift over Taiwan, starting in the north.

On his Facebook page, Cheng said that air pollution originating from outside Taiwan will begin affecting the country on Thursday. He said this is mainly due to Chinese air pollution and represents the third such intensive wave of pollution arriving from China.

Cheng predicted that the impact of the air pollution will be exacerbated by the recent dry weather in Taiwan.

The Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) also said that due to the impact of a continental cold air mass, the PM2.5 levels in Shanghai today will range between 80 and 115 micrograms per cubic meter. It warned that northeasterly winds may bring foreign pollutants to Taiwan in the early morning.

The EPA stated that poor diffusion conditions and weak wind speed will likely lead to an accumulation of pollutants over the western half of the country, where many orange alerts, of air that is unhealthy for sensitive groups, are likely. The EPA's Taiwan Air Quality Monitoring Network is forecasting orange alerts for all of Taiwan proper, except for Hualien and Taitung counties, where a yellow alert for moderate conditions has been issued.