Temperatures plummeted across Taiwan yesterday as a wet cold wave engulfed the country, but the weather should turn drier today, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said.
The lowest temperature in a low-lying area on the main island was recorded in Miaoli County’s Dahe Village (大河) at 4.6oC at 6:30am, followed by 4.8oC in Taoyuan’s Yangmei District (楊梅) and 5.1oC in Hsinchu County’s Sinfong Township (新豐), CWA data showed.
Nationwide, the lowest temperatures registered in low-lying areas were measured on outlying islands just off the coast of Fujian Province in China.
Photo: CNA
The lowest readings were 1.5oC on Dongyin Island (東引), 1.7oC on Nangan Island (南竿) and 2.1oC on Beigan Island (北竿) — all in Lienchiang County.
The CWA has issued a cold surge advisory warning of lows below 6oC through tonight for Taipei, New Taipei City, Keelung, Taichung and Taoyuan, as well as Changhua, Chiayi, Hsinchu, Kinmen, Miaoli, Nantou, Yilan and Yunlin counties.
It also warned of temperatures about 10oC or below and steady temperatures of no higher than 12oC in Kaohsiung, Tainan, Chiayi City and Hsinchu City, as well as Hualien and Taitung counties.
Photo: Tien Yu-hua, Taipei Times
The CWA expected lows of about 10oC in Pingtung County, while warning that temperatures could dip below 2oC in Lienchiang County.
With the cold expected to continue into early tomorrow, the lows today could hit 7oC to 10oC in western Taiwan and Yilan and Hualien, and 10oC to 12oC in Taitung, with cloudy or sunny skies expected over most parts of the island, it said.
However, rain might fall in parts of northern and eastern Taiwan exposed to prevailing winds and in mountainous areas in central Taiwan, the agency said.
Photo: CNA
A wind advisory over land is also in place until early this morning for Keelung, New Taipei City, Taoyuan, Hsinchu, Miaoli, Taichung, Changhua, Yunlin, Chiayi, Tainan and the Hengchun Peninsula, in addition to the outlying Penghu, Kinmen and Lienchiang counties.
Some mountainous areas in the northern half of Taiwan were also dusted with snow yesterday morning.
Snow began to fall on Taiwan’s highest mountain, the 3,952m Yushan (玉山) in Nantou County, late on Monday night, and 4cm had accumulated there as of 9am yesterday.
It also snowed lightly yesterday morning on Taipingshan (太平山) in Yilan County, in indigenous mountainous areas in Taoyuan and Hsinchu County, on Hehuanshan (合歡山) in Nantou County, and on Hsiaohsuehshan (小雪山) and Tianchih (天池) in the Dasyueshan Forest Recreation Area in Taichung.
On Yangmingshan (陽明山) in Taipei, rain mixed with snow was seen early yesterday morning, which then became rain mixed with hail, resulting in a light covering of about 1cm of snow.
Residents of Beigan saw the rare sight of falling graupel (soft hail) at Bishan (壁山), its highest peak of 298m, on Monday night and yesterday morning, in addition to about 5cm of snow, local officials said.
Those eager to head to the mountains to get a glimpse of the snow should be careful of icy roads and possible traffic controls, they said.
Snow chains might be required to enter some areas, and vehicles might be prohibited in others, where visitors can only enter on foot, they said.
As of press time last night, Hsin Kwang Elementary, Hsiujuan Elementary, Yufeng Elementary and Shilei Elementary in Hsinchu County had canceled school for today due to the cold, while Yangmingshan Elementary School in Taipei canceled afterschool care.
In Taoyuan, Balung Elementary, Guang Hua Elementary, San Guang Elementary and Gao Yi Elementary canceled school today due to icy roads.
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