Hehuanshan recorded snowfall of 5-6 centimeters Monday morning, the winter’s heaviest, with snow also seen on several other high mountains in northern, northeastern, and central Taiwan, according to the Central Weather Bureau (CWB).
Frigid temperatures and ample moisture brought by a cold air mass together with a wet weather system from southern China prompted snowfall on Hehuanshan at an elevation of 3,422 meters on the borders of Nantou and Hualien counties.
It started snowing on the mountain around 1 a.m. with snowfall lasting until 7 a.m., according to the CWB.
In addition, 4-5 cm of accumulated snowfall was also recorded at Lodge 369 in the Shei-Pa National Park between 1 a.m. and 7 a.m.
Taiwan’s highest peak, Jade Mountain, also known as Yushan, saw brief snowfall from 3:15 a.m.-3:50 a.m. before it started snowing again at 5:20 a.m.
As of 9:30 a.m., about 2 cm of accumulated snow had been recorded on the 3,952-meter mountain, according to the CWB.
The lowest temperature on Yushan, which stood at minus 2.8 degrees Celsius, was recorded at its north peak, according to data posted on the CWB’s website.
A continuing cold front will affect Taiwan until Tuesday, with wet and cold weather forecast during Tuesday morning, according to the weather bureau.
On Monday, the weather on the outlying islands will remain cold, with Dongyin in Lienchiang County to experience temperatures as low as 7 degrees at 2:30 p.m., while Wuchiu in Kinmen can expect temperatures of 9.3 degrees at 3:50 p.m.
In addition, as the continental cold air mass continues to linger from Monday night to Tuesday, temperatures are expected to fall to below 10 degrees Celsius in parts of Keelung, Taipei, New Taipei, Taoyuan, Hsinchu City and County, Miaoli County, and Kinmen County, the CWB’s Lin Ting-I (???) said.
Meanwhile, Taipei, New Taipei, Keelung, and Yilan could see rainfall, while heavy rain is forecast for mountainous areas in Greater Taipei, according to Lin.
There is still a chance of snow on mountains at elevations of over 3,000 meters around Taiwan, Lin said.
The cold weather would ease slightly on Wednesday before a cold air mass gains momentum Thursday afternoon to bring the mercury down in northern and northeastern Taiwan.
The next cold air mass is expected to affect Taiwan until Jan. 2, with the temperatures likely to drop to as low as 14-15 degrees between the nighttime on Dec. 31 and early morning Jan. 1, 2022, according to Lin.
There is a slim chance of getting a clear view of 2022’s first sunrise, Lin added.
Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel