In the final week of 2021, the weather in Taiwan will go through some rapid changes, perhaps, in a way, reflecting the entire year.
A bowl of rice porridge, pork with pickles, and some fish-and-ribs soup make for a traditional Taiwanese breakfast. This kind of food can warm one up on a cold and wet morning: a morning just like Monday’s, when temperatures dropped to 6C on the outlying island of Matsu and 10C in Taichung.
A senior specialist at the Central Weather Bureau, Luo Ya-yin, says that the mercury will stay low until Tuesday morning, hovering at just 13-14C in many parts of Taiwan.
The Bureau has issued an orange temperature warning for the Kinmen Islands, but thermometers may also dip below 10C in coastal areas north of Miaoli.
Moist air from southern China will make the skies above Taiwan cloudy. The Central Weather Bureau has issued a heavy rain advisory for Keelung, mountainous parts of Taipei, and Yilan.
The wet and cold weather will be reversed several times before the end of the year. Starting on Tuesday, temperatures will rise to around 20C, but fall back down on Thursday, as seasonal northeasterly winds pick up.
On New Year’s Eve, rain is expected in the east, as well as in mountainous parts of northern Taiwan, while the western lowlands can expect partially cloudy skies.
It seems like the end of the year will be cold, but rather dry, which will please those planning to watch the fireworks at Taipei 101. It will get colder towards the morning, however, so revelers should dress accordingly.