The cold air mass hovering over the country is bringing with it strong winds that are mixing dust particles in the air, the Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) said, adding that those with respiratory and heart diseases should avoid performing strenuous activities outdoors.
“Starting on Nov. 27, Taiwan has been under the influence of a strong cold air mass and temperatures have been dropping,” said Chu Yu-chi (朱雨其), director-general of the EPA’s department of environmental protection monitoring and information management. “Combined with a strong northeastern seasonal wind, dust particles are being blown into the air and affecting areas in central and southern Taiwan.”
On Friday, the pollution standard index (PSI) in Yunlin, Chiayi and Tainan counties was at more than 100 and fell into the “poor” category as monitored by the administration, which meant the air was unhealthy for human health and could cause sneezing, coughing, eye irritation and aggravations of chronic heart or lung ailments, Chu said.
On the same day, a record-high pollutant particle concentration was recorded in Yunlin County at 743 micrograms per cubic meter, Chu said, adding that the value was eight to 10 times normal. Though the PSI in the area marginally subsided to 91 yesterday — bringing it in the realm of acceptable health — the polluted air seemed to have shifted southward to Kaohsiung and Pingtung, where a PSI of 104 was recorded at 3pm, the EPA Web site said.
A strong continental cold air mass and abundant moisture bringing snow to mountains 3,000m and higher over the past few days are a reminder that more than 60 years ago Taiwan had an outdoor ski resort that gradually disappeared in part due to climate change. On Oct. 24, 2021, the National Development Council posted a series of photographs on Facebook recounting the days when Taiwan had a ski resort on Hehuanshan (合歡山) in Nantou County. More than 60 years ago, when developing a branch of the Central Cross-Island Highway, the government discovered that Hehuanshan, with an elevation of more than 3,100m,
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