TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Vehicles traveling between Hehuanshan’s Wuling and Songsyue Lodge must install snow chains, the Highway Bureau said Thursday.

Brief periods of solid precipitation were observed in the high-altitude areas of Wuling at 3,275 m and Songsyue Lodge. Soft, small snow pellets called graupel were also seen early Thursday morning, per CNA.

Graupel forms when supercooled water droplets freeze onto solid objects, creating porous, fragile ice particles that shatter upon impact, per the Central Weather Administration. While the graupel did not significantly accumulate on roads, frost prompted the snow chain requirement. 

Temperatures at Yushan dropped to -4.1 C at 7 a.m. Staff at its weather station reported rime and glaze ice.

Due to unpredictable road conditions, the Highway Bureau advised against non-essential travel to mountainous areas. Travelers should equip themselves with snow chains, stay informed of weather and road updates, and make alternative plans.