The mercury dropped again on Sunday with the arrival of a cold air mass. Along with the cold air, pollutants from the mainland were also carried into Taiwan by the northeast monsoon. The outlying counties of Kinmen and Lienchiang got a code red air quality alert, and the entire western half of Taiwan got a code orange. For the coming week, another cold air mass is expected to make itself felt on Wednesday with lows of 13 degrees. As for election day on Saturday, the weather is looking to be sunny and mild.

The sky over Taipei looked smoggy early Sunday morning. Even Taipei 101 was enveloped in a haze. Scooter riders and pedestrians all had their masks on. The poor air quality is the result of air pollution from the Chinese mainland being carried into Taiwan by the northeast monsoon.

Chen Pei-an
Forecaster, CWA
If you look at this area that I’m pointing at, you can see patches of gray. These are the air pollutants that were brought in by the northeast monsoon.

According to the environment ministry’s air monitoring data, Kinmen and Lienchiang counties got a code red air quality alert on Sunday, meaning residents should avoid outdoor activities. The entire western half of the island also got a code orange. Sensitive groups were advised to pay special attention to the air quality, which is expected to improve starting Monday. Looking ahead, there will be two waves of cold air affecting Taiwan in the coming week.

Chen Pei-an
Forecaster, CWA
The real drop in temperature will come on Wednesday, when a cold air mass begins to affect Taiwan. We can see that the lowest temperatures will occur in the early morning of Thursday and Friday. In the north and northeast, the temperature will likely be around 12 or 13 degrees.

This wave of the northeast monsoon will taper off on Monday, raising the mercury. However, on Tuesday, a cloud system in South China will move eastward, leading to brief periods of rain in the north and in the eastern half of the island, as well as the central mountainous regions. On Wednesday, a cold air mass from the mainland will arrive, with lows dropping down to around 13 degrees. There will be relatively little rainfall, and it will remain cold and dry until Friday. On election day Saturday, the cold air mass will weaken and temperatures will begin to rise.

Chen Pei-an
Forecaster, CWA
On election day, there will be less moisture with highs reaching 20 to 22 degrees.

The Central Weather Administration also published a photo that was taken early Sunday morning on Taiwan’s highest peak, Yushan. It shows a spectacular sky with clouds forming in a golden arch. Former head of the CWB Cheng Ming-tien explained on social media that the formation was the result of altocumulus clouds coming into contact with airflows moving in a different direction. The sunlight hit at just the right angle, creating the rare natural phenomenon.

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