Taipei, Dec. 25 (CNA) A continental cold air mass is forecast to envelop Taiwan next week, sending temperatures to below 10 degrees Celsius in some areas on New Year's Eve, according to a meteorologist Friday.
With the arrival Wednesday of the first cold front this winter, the mercury is expected to plunge to as low as 8-10 degrees in some parts of the country at nighttime as the system intensifies, said Wu Der-rong (吳德榮), an adjunct associate professor of atmospheric sciences at National Central University.
Temperatures will fall throughout Taiwan, and coldest weather is forecast on New Year's Eve, he said.
Citing data from the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF), Wu said the temperature in the Taipei metropolitan area on Dec. 31 will be around 7 degrees, while in some other low-lying parts of the city the mercury is likely to plunge to 5 degrees.
Before then, however, residents in northern Taiwan will see a temporary break in the wet weather Saturday, Wu said. He forecast sunny to partly cloudy skies nationwide, with occasional showers in northeastern parts of the country.
On Sunday, a cloud system arriving from the south will bring rain to many parts of the country, but the weather will clear up again the following day, Wu said.
