TAIPEI (TVBS News) — Families planning outdoor tomb-sweeping activities for the upcoming holiday can expect favorable conditions at the start, according to leading weather experts. Meteorologist Wu Der-rong (吳德榮) predicts a pleasant opening to the Tomb Sweeping holiday (清明節), with Thursday and Friday benefiting from stable atmospheric patterns that will bring sunny to partly cloudy skies across the island. Temperature trends show a gradual warming pattern as the holiday begins, creating comfortable conditions throughout northern regions while southern areas may experience slightly warmer daytime highs. Despite the promising start, Wu cautions that the traditional family holiday could face weather disruptions by the weekend, with scattered precipitation developing across various regions on Saturday and Sunday.
The island woke to notably cool conditions Monday morning as temperatures dipped to between 11 and 14 degrees Celsius (51.8 and 57.2°F) across most regions, while Miaoli's Sanwan Township (三灣鄉) registered the day's coldest reading at a brisk 10.8 degrees Celsius (51.4°F). Advanced meteorological projections from the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) computational models show a developing precipitation pattern that will bring substantial rainfall to central and northern regions in the coming days. Southern Taiwan will not escape entirely, with forecasters expecting intermittent light showers to sweep across the region as the weather system moves through the island.
The current weather pattern stems from a cold air mass that has enveloped the island, creating particularly damp and chilly conditions across northern Taiwan. Temperature variations remain pronounced between regions, with northern areas experiencing ranges of 11 to 18 degrees Celsius (51.8 to 64.4°F), central regions seeing 12 to 24 degrees Celsius (53.6 to 75.2°F), southern areas reaching between 14 and 30 degrees Celsius (57.2 to 86°F), and eastern counties registering between 13 and 27 degrees Celsius (55.4 to 80.6°F). Weather conditions will begin shifting Tuesday as precipitation coverage gradually contracts, though brief rain showers will continue intermittently across northern and eastern regions. The cold air mass is expected to moderate slightly, allowing temperatures to inch upward across most parts of the island.
A significant improvement in weather conditions will arrive by Wednesday, particularly across northern and central-southern Taiwan, where sunny skies and atmospheric stability will dominate. Daytime temperatures will climb noticeably higher, creating more spring-like conditions ahead of the holiday weekend. The eastern counties of Hualien and Taitung may continue experiencing occasional brief showers as moisture lingers along the coastal mountains, though these are not expected to be widespread or persistent. Despite the warming trend during daylight hours, residents and holiday travelers should note that morning and evening temperatures will remain relatively cool, necessitating appropriate clothing layers for outdoor activities throughout the Tomb Sweeping holiday period.
