The Taiwan-held Matsu Islands recorded their first sleet in 18 years and the lowest temperature for any low-lying area in the country Sunday at 2.7 degrees Celsius, according to the Central Weather Bureau (CWB).
As of Sunday noon, the lowest temperature across Taiwan and its offshore islands was recorded at 6:13 a.m. at the Matsu weather station on Nangan Island, which lies much closer to the coast of China’s Fujian province than it does to the island of Taiwan.
The cold spell plus the heavy rain also resulted in sleet falling in the Matsu Islands, starting at 1:37 p.m. It was the first time sleet was recorded there since the launch of the Matsu Weather Station in 2004, CWB forecaster Hsu Chung-yi (???) told CNA.
The lowest temperature in a low-lying area of Taiwan proper on Sunday was 7.2 degrees in Taichung’s Dajia District at 2:30 p.m., Hsu said.
The mercury is expected to drop further on Sunday night, which is forecast to be the coldest time of the ongoing cold snap, he said.
The weather should turn slightly warmer starting Monday morning but will likely remain cold, with the bureau forecasting temperatures of 11 degrees Celsius in northern and central Taiwan, 12 degrees in the south, and 13 to 15 degrees in the east.
On Wednesday, another cold wave could send the mercury down again, though not by as much as the current cold spell, before temperatures bounce back starting Friday.
Meanwhile, the heavy rains seen in most parts of Taiwan will continue for a few days before easing starting Thursday, Hsu said.
The cold spell has been preliminarily linked to the sudden deaths of 41 people across Taiwan, who were among 382 people sent to hospitals with ailments resulting from the chilly temperatures, according an ETTODAY report.
Health authorities said, however, that more work needs to be done to determine if there was in fact a direct link between the 41 deaths and the cold weather.
Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel