Jade Mountain, the highest peak in Taiwan, saw brief snowfall on Christmas morning, as a strong continental cold air mass blanketed the country Saturday, according to the Central Weather Bureau (CWB).
The first snowfall started at 6:25 a.m. and last for two minutes, followed by two other brief flurries that stopped at 8:50 a.m. on the 3,952-meter tall peak, which is also known as Yushan, the CWB said.
With the arrival of the cold air mass, temperatures in Taiwan are forecast to drop Saturday, after reaching highs of 19 degrees Celsius during the day in central Taiwan and 20 degrees in central and southern parts of the country, according to the CWB.
Nighttime lows of 13 degrees can be expected Saturday in the northern areas, and 17 degrees in central and southern regions, the CWB said.
As the cold front strengthens Monday into early Tuesday, the mercury will fall to 12-13 degrees in most of northern Taiwan, with some parts seeing temperatures of 10-11 degrees, according to the CWB’s forecast.
In southern Taiwan and the eastern counties of Hualien and Taitung, lows of 14-15 degrees can be expected on those two days, the bureau said.
The cold front is also carrying moisture, which means rain in northern Taiwan, sporadic showers in central and southern parts of the country, and possible snow at elevations of more than 3,000 meters, over the next few days, the bureau said.
Temperatures will start rising again later Tuesday, as the cold air mass starts to weaken, according to the CWB.
Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel