TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — A new cold front is expected to arrive on Wednesday (Dec. 20) causing the mercury to drop as low as 8 C in north Taiwan by Thursday and Friday (Dec. 21-22).
Meteorologist Daniel Wu (吳德榮) said from Wednesday to Saturday (Dec. 23) the cold front could become a "strong continental cold air mass." Wu predicted temperatures will gradually drop from Wednesday and be at their lowest from Thursday evening to Friday morning.
On Thursday and Friday, Wu said flat areas of north Taiwan would plunge to as low as 8 C. Wu forecasted northern Taiwan would experience wet and cold conditions, while central and southern Taiwan would see partly cloudy to sunny conditions, with large diurnal temperature fluctuations.
Wu said the cold front will weaken slightly on Saturday during the day, but northern Taiwan will continue to see wet and cold conditions. On Christmas Eve (Dec. 24), the cold will intensify slightly in north Taiwan, but with less moisture.
On Christmas Day (Dec. 25), a high-pressure system will arrive from China. The weather will be clear and stable across Taiwan, with large diurnal temperature fluctuations.
The Central Weather Administration forecasted Monday highs of 23 to 24 C in the north, 25 to 27 C in central and south Taiwan, and 21 to 22 C in the east. Low and high temperatures are predicted to differ by 10 C in the north and by 7 to 8 C in central and southern regions.
The TyTech Taiwan Facebook page forecasted temperatures on Monday (Dec. 18) are rising across the country, and atmospheric moisture is decreasing. It said the skies over western Taiwan are gradually clearing up, making the weather relatively milder than what is forecasted for the rest of the week.
It said a weather front would arrive on Tuesday, bringing a chance of rain to the north. For Wednesday, another strong cold air mass will sweep in. It predicted lows on Wednesday in north Taiwan would drop to 10 or 11 C, possibly reaching the criteria of a cold wave.
