Taipei, March 15 (CNA) A heavy rain alert has been issued for seven cities and counties in northern Taiwan on Saturday, while temperatures are expected to dip to single digits next week as a continental cold air mass approaches, according to the Central Weather Administration (CWA).
The CWA said a heavy rain advisory has become effective in Keelung, Taipei, New Taipei, Taoyuan and Hsinchu cities, as well as Hsinchu and Miaoli counties, indicating 24-hour accumulated rainfall will exceed 80 millimeters or hourly rainfall will exceed 40 millimeters.
The CWA said unstable weather has resulted in showers and thundershowers in the north with heavy precipitation hitting Miaoli and areas north of the county, urging people in low-lying regions to stay alert for possible flooding.
A strong continental cold air mass is forecast to move southward and arrive in Taiwan Saturday afternoon, which will cause temperatures to drop in northern Taiwan, the CWA said.
On Saturday, daytime temperatures are expected to range between 22 and 26 degrees in northern and northeastern Taiwan and fall to 15-16 degrees at night, while highs in central and southern Taiwan are expected to hit 28-31 degrees before falling to 18-22 degrees at night, the CWA said.
Cooler air is expected over the next few days due to the effects of the continental cold air mass, with temperatures forecast to dip to 10-18 degrees in northern and northeastern Taiwan, 12-20 degrees in central Taiwan, and 14-24 degrees in the south on Sunday and Monday, the CWA added.
Despite the low temperatures, the CWA said, moisture in the air will be depleted during Sunday and Monday, which will result in drier weather.
The CWA said temperatures are expected to fall further from Tuesday to Thursday due to the cold air mass coupled with a radiation-cooling effect, which refers to the cooling of the ground under clear skies, light winds, and dry conditions.
The CWA added that the mercury is expected to dip to 9 degrees in the north, 11 degrees in central Taiwan, and 13 degrees in the south, and dry weather is possible during those days.
The CWA said the strength of the cold air mass is expected to weaken on Friday when temperatures begin to rise again.
(By Wang Shu-fen and Frances Huang)
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