TAIPEI (TVBS News) — The Central Weather Administration (中央氣象署), Taiwan's national meteorological agency, issued a cold weather advisory on Wednesday (April 2), warning residents of plummeting temperatures as a continental cold air mass sweeps across the island. Officials highlighted that New Taipei City and Hsinchu County could experience temperatures dropping below 10 degrees Celsius (50°F), a significant cold spell for the subtropical island nation.
In the Shiding District in New Taipei City, the lowest temperature recorded Wednesday morning reached 10.3 degrees Celsius (50.5°F), providing tangible evidence of the cold front's impact. Meteorologist Wu Derong (吳德榮) warned that radiation cooling could push temperatures even lower, potentially below 10 degrees Celsius (50°F) in various lowland areas by Thursday (April 3). Despite the chill, Wu offered some reassurance for holiday travelers, forecasting stable weather conditions for the first two days of the Qingming holiday (清明節), a traditional tomb-sweeping festival, with mostly sunny to partly cloudy skies expected across the region.
Wu also noted a significant north-south temperature divide across the island, with northern regions expected to reach highs of 26 to 27 degrees Celsius (78.8 to 80.6°F), while southern Taiwan may experience more summer-like conditions with temperatures exceeding 30 degrees Celsius (86°F). Looking ahead to the latter part of the Qingming holiday and April 7, the meteorologist anticipates increasing cloud cover as a weather system from South China drifts eastward across the Taiwan Strait, potentially bringing a slight chance of light precipitation to mountainous areas across the island.
Furthermore, Wu outlined a significant shift in weather patterns expected from April 8 to 11, with atmospheric short waves likely to trigger thunderstorms across various regions. This meteorological transition signals the emergence of a typical spring pattern for Taiwan, characterized by rapid alternations between sunny and rainy conditions, along with frequent fog formation that could affect visibility and transportation. The changing weather dynamics reflect the island's position at the intersection of multiple climate influences as it moves deeper into the spring season.
