TAIPEI (TVBS News) — The Central Weather Administration (中央氣象署) issued a heavy rain alert on Wednesday (Dec. 31), warning of wet and cold conditions in northern Taiwan through Thursday as a northeast monsoon arrives. Forecaster Liu Pei-teng (劉沛滕) said the monsoon will bring heavy rain to Keelung City's north coast, while New Taipei City, Yilan County and Taipei City mountain areas will see significant rainfall. The wet weather will persist as temperatures drop across the island.
Cold conditions will prevail across most regions on Thursday, with temperatures in central, northern and northeastern areas barely reaching 14°C (57.2°F). Only southern Taiwan may see temperatures above 20°C (68°F). On Friday, western regions will see sunshine during the day, but conditions will remain cold, with the Zhudong-Miaoli area reaching only 9–12°C (48.2–53.6°F).
Temperatures in northern Taiwan will drop to 16°C (60.8°F) on New Year's Eve, with the temperature disparity between day and night widening in central and southern regions. Liu Pei-teng advised residents to stay warm, with eastern areas expecting scattered showers and western coastal regions seeing lows between 14°C (57.2°F) and 17°C (62.6°F). The forecaster urged the public to prepare for the cold snap affecting celebrations.
Taiwan will face its first cold front of 2026 on Thursday, with temperatures in Miaoli, northern Taiwan and Yilan not exceeding 18°C (64.4°F). Hsueh Hao-tien (薛皓天), a Weather Risk, a private forecasting company, analyst, said the strong continental cold air mass will limit visibility for the first sunrise of the new year in the north and east. Southern regions may have better chances of clear skies.