TAIPEI (TVBS News) — A strong continental cold air mass has gripped Taiwan, causing temperatures to plummet to their lowest of the winter season on Monday (Jan. 13), according to the Central Weather Administration (CWA, 中央氣象署). Areas such as Keelung, New Taipei, and Hsinchu faced a chance of temperatures dropping below 6 degrees Celsius, while Hualien and Taitung experienced lows around 10 degrees.
Meteorologist Wu Der-rong (吳德榮) explained that clear skies and strong radiative cooling contributed to the extreme cold, with Miaoli's Sanwan Township (三灣鄉) recording a low of 1.6 degrees. Wu also noted that a new cold air mass will sweep south on Wednesday, bringing colder conditions to northern and northeastern regions and affecting other areas in the mornings and evenings until Friday.
Daytime temperatures began to rise as the cold air mass weakened, with highs reaching 18 to 21 degrees in the north, east, and outlying islands and 22 to 23 degrees in central and southern regions. Weather expert Lin Te-en (林得恩) predicted mostly sunny to partly cloudy skies until Tuesday, with only sporadic rain in eastern Taiwan.
Looking ahead, Wu warned of another cold front arriving on Wednesday, potentially bringing brief rain to northern and eastern areas and snow in the mountains. Although slightly weaker than the current one, this front poses a significant chance of being a continental cold air mass, necessitating close monitoring of nighttime radiative cooling effects.
