Taipei: The effects of northeasterly winds along with a cloud system moving in from South China indicate that brief rain is possible in northern and northeastern Taiwan on Saturday. Stronger precipitation is forecast in Keelung City, mountainous areas in Taipei and New Taipei cities, Yilan County in the northeast, and Hualien County in the east, as stated by the Central Weather Administration (CWA).

According to Focus Taiwan, the lowest temperatures for Saturday were recorded at 17-18 degrees Celsius in the north, 18-19 degrees in central Taiwan, and 20 degrees in the south during the early morning. The CWA predicts that temperature highs will reach 23-24 degrees in the north and 28-31 degrees elsewhere, with little change from Friday’s temperatures.

Due to the current seasonal wind system, the CWA has issued a strong wind advisory for various locations, including Green Island in the southeast, Taoyuan and Hsinchu cities, and Hsinchu and Miaoli counties in the north. Other areas affected include Taichung City, Changhua County in central Taiwan, Yunlin, Chiayi, Pingtung counties, Tainan City in the south, and the outlying Penghu, Kinmen, and Matsu islands. The strong wind alert is expected to remain in effect into early Sunday morning.

The ongoing seasonal northeasterly wind system is predicted to weaken on Sunday, leading to an increase in daytime temperatures, which could reach up to 30 degrees Celsius in northern Taiwan next week. The moisture in the air is also expected to decrease on Sunday, with temperature highs ranging between 29-30 degrees in the north and 31-33 degrees in central and southern parts of the country.

However, another wave of northeasterly winds is anticipated to arrive on Monday, potentially destabilizing weather conditions before losing momentum starting on Tuesday. Stable weather conditions are expected to continue into Friday, with only sporadic showers in the north and mountainous areas during the afternoon.

Meteorologist Wu Der-rong, an independent expert and adjunct associate professor at National Central University, noted that temperatures are likely to recover from Tuesday through Wednesday, with cloudy to sunny skies forecast throughout Taiwan and only brief showers in mountainous regions.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Environment reported that air quality across most of Taiwan was fair to good on Saturday. However, an “orange” alert was issued for some areas in central Taiwan, indicating unhealthy air quality for sensitive groups such as the elderly, children, and individuals with cardiac or respiratory conditions.