TAIPEI (TVBS News) — The Central Weather Administration (CWA, 中央氣象署) issued a cold weather alert on Friday (Jan. 10) for 13 counties and cities in Taiwan, as a strong continental cold air mass threatens to trigger a cold wave. Meteorologist Wu Der-rong (吳德榮) analyzed the situation, warning that temperatures might drop to extreme lows.
New Taipei City's Shiding District (石碇區) recorded the lowest temperature at 7.9 degrees Celsius this morning, while Nangang District (南港區) in Taipei City saw a low of 10.1 degrees, with the Taipei weather station noting 12 degrees. Wu indicated that temperatures might plunge to 5 degrees Celsius from Sunday to early Monday, potentially reaching cold wave standards at the Taipei station.
The CWA's alert classified Taipei City, New Taipei City, Keelung City, Taoyuan City, Hsinchu County, and Yilan County under an "orange light" warning, signifying very cold conditions. Meanwhile, Miaoli County, Taichung City, Changhua County, Nantou County, Yunlin County, Chiayi County, and Kinmen County received a "yellow light" warning for cold weather.
Wu mentioned that according to the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) model, northern, eastern, and mountainous areas may experience intermittent rain until Sunday morning, while central and southern regions will remain partly cloudy to sunny. Daytime highs in northern Taiwan will hover around 14-15 degrees Celsius, with cold and wet conditions persisting.
Wu advised that Sunday daytime to early Monday morning will be the coldest period, despite daytime temperatures rising. The weather will gradually warm up starting Monday, returning to sunny and stable conditions, but another cold front is expected on Wednesday.