TAIPEI (TVBS News) — The Central Weather Administration (CWA, 中央氣象署) issued cold weather alerts for 10 Taiwan counties Wednesday (Jan. 21) as temperatures plunged to 8.9 degrees Celsius (48.0°F) in Yunlin County's Gukeng Township (古坑鄉). The cold snap, driven by a strong continental cold air mass, will persist until Thursday (Jan. 23), with temperatures remaining at or below 10 degrees Celsius (50.0°F) from Hsinchu northward across northern Taiwan.
The CWA also issued a heavy rain alert, warning that northeast winds may bring localized heavy rain to Keelung's north coast and Greater Taipei's mountainous areas. The alert covers the period from early morning to noon. Meteorologist Wu Der-romg (吳德榮), writing in his column for the National Central University (NCU, 國立中央大學), forecast wet and cold conditions across northern Taiwan, with snow possible on mountains above 2,000 meters (6,562 feet).
Wu cited European model simulations showing northern Taiwan will turn partly cloudy starting Thursday (Jan. 23), while eastern regions may still experience brief showers. Central and southern Taiwan will see partly cloudy weather over the next three days. Wu predicted that from Saturday (Jan. 24) to Tuesday (Jan. 27), weather conditions will stabilize with sunny skies and rising temperatures, though the daily temperature swing will be significant.
Wu also forecast another wave of weak cold air from the northeast monsoon, expected to arrive from Tuesday (Jan. 27) afternoon through Friday (Jan. 30), potentially bringing rain and cooler temperatures to northern and eastern Taiwan. Forecasters noted that models are still being adjusted, and residents should monitor updates for any changes to the extended outlook through the end of January. ◼