A cold front originating in the Arctic could skim over Taiwan next week but is unlikely to linger, Cheng Ming-dean (???), director-general of the Central Weather Bureau (CWB), said Sunday.
Citing a chart published by the Climate Prediction Center of the U.S. National Weather Service, Cheng said in a Facebook post that the Arctic Oscillation index had reached minus 4.0.
According to Cheng, this meant warm air had entered the North polar region to push cold air from high latitudes to middle latitudes.
Taiwan is set to be on the edge of the cold front’s path, meaning that the island will not be consistently affected by cold air, Cheng said.
Cheng cautioned, however, that there was “still a high chance Taiwan is skimmed over” by the cold front, reminding people to stay alert for weather changes and to wrap up warm if the temperature drops.
The active status of the Arctic Oscillation was also observed by Peng Chi-ming (???), a meteorologist and CEO of WeatherRisk Explore Inc.
In a Facebook post on Sunday, Peng said that “the cold air in the Northern Hemisphere will be very active next week,” forecasting temperature drops in Taiwan Wednesday and Thursday due to the negative Arctic Oscillations.
However, Peng said that the cold front’s influence could gain more ground during the weekend of Dec. 17 to 18.
According to WeatherRisk, steeper temperature drops could occur a week from now, with models indicating the arrival of a strong cold air system that could bring the mercury in Taiwan down to 10 degrees Celsius or lower.
On Saturday the CWB said areas north of Chiayi County were expected to become cooler next week with temperatures likely to fall to as low as 14 degrees as a seasonal northeasterly wind system gathers momentum.
The bureau also projected it would be cooler around Wednesday and next Sunday compared with other days over the next two weeks.
Meanwhile, Wu Der-rong (???), an adjunct associate professor of atmospheric sciences at National Central University, said Sunday the current cool and moist weather in northern Taiwan was forecast to last until Wednesday.
With a stronger cold air system expected to arrive Friday evening, Wu said he projected the first cold snap of the year would hit Saturday and bring the mercury in Taipei down to below 10 degrees.
Wu added that the weather around Taiwan during this period would be cold and dry.
Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel