TAIPEI (TVBS News) — A cold front sweeping across Taiwan beginning Wednesday (April 1) will bring heavy rain, thunderstorms, and temperature drops through Monday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA, 中央氣象署) warned. The system threatens to disrupt Qingming Festival and Children's Day travel plans, with heavy rain, lightning, and strong gusts expected across much of the island. Residents should prepare for dramatic weather changes and monitor local forecasts, officials said.
The first wave of the front will bring showers and thunderstorms to central and northern Taiwan on Wednesday. Daytime highs in the north will reach 22°C to 23°C (72°F to 73°F), with lows dropping to 17°C to 19°C (63°F to 66°F). When the northeast monsoon weakens on Thursday, temperatures will rise in the north and northeast, but moisture levels will remain high, causing scattered showers across central and southern regions throughout the day.
A second wave of the front will approach Friday evening, with increasing rain in the north as night progresses, the CWA said. Children's Day on Saturday will bring the most severe effects, causing showers and thunderstorms across the western half of the island. Intense convection may trigger brief but heavy rainfall, lightning, and strong gusts, officials warned.
The Qingming Festival, Taiwan's traditional tomb-sweeping holiday, on Sunday will see a slight easing of rain, though brief showers will persist in some areas. Unstable weather during the holiday weekend will push northern Taiwan's temperatures down to 17°C (63°F), with brief heavy rainfall and dramatic weather changes likely, the CWA cautioned. Meteorologist Lin De-en (林得恩) said the front's passage and the strengthening northeast monsoon will cool temperatures in northern and northeastern Taiwan, increasing atmospheric instability and the likelihood of brief showers islandwide. ◼