Hsinchu's Emei and Miaoli's Xihu reported seasonal lows for this year of 4 degrees and 4.5 degrees, respectively, this morning. Experts say temperatures will plunge again on the 21st with the arrival of a strong cold air mass which will last until Dec. 24-25 and a continental cold air mass may keep temperatures down longer.
It was a sunny but chilly morning in Taipei on Dec. 19 with temperatures plunging to historic lows due to radiative cooling. Hsinchu County's Emei reported a low of 4 degrees, while Miaoli's Xihu, Taichung's Waipu and various stations around Yunlin and Hualien reporting lows of, respectively, 4.5, 6, and 6.1 degrees. In Taipei, Daan District reported a low of 7.9 degrees. Temperatures will plunge again on the 21st with the arrival of a strong cold air mass.
Lee Meng-hsuan, Central Weather Bureau Forecaster: “Temperatures will start falling on Dec. 21. We expect a low of 10-11 degrees in the north. This will last until Dec. 24-25 and a continental cold air mass may keep temperatures down longer.”
The Central Weather Bureau says the cold air mass will bring cold, wet weather. The 22nd to 25th will be drier, but temperatures will remain low. Experts say cold air masses are traveling out of the arctic region due to La Nina and negative arctic oscillation, and it will remain cold in Taiwan through the end of the year.
Peng Chi-ming, WeatherRisk President: “It's not just Taiwan and East Asia. The U.S. and Europe are also dealing with the strongest cold air mass of the winter so far. It's going to stay cold in Taiwan until the end of the year or the beginning of next year.”
Experts say temperatures will fluctuate greatly during the next few weeks and everyone should remember to stay warm.
大衣、圍巾、帽子全出籠，大台北一早儘管陽光露臉，仍有寒冷感受。這一波寒流影響在週一凌晨，因輻射冷卻加乘，又創下新的低溫紀錄。新竹縣峨眉測得4度低溫，苗栗西湖4.5度，台中外埔6度，雲林、花蓮局部地區都下探到6.1度，台北市大安區也一度出現7.9度低溫。週一白天起溫度回升，不過週三起，強烈冷氣團報到，又變天。
氣象局預報員李孟軒指出：「氣溫從週三開始就會逐漸地下降，預估在北部地區的低溫，大概是就介在10到11度左右。可能到了週六、週日，強烈大陸冷氣團的一個程度，是有可能再提升到寒流的等級。」
氣象局分析，目前觀察，週三報到的冷空氣水氣較多，將是濕冷感受；週四到週末則偏乾冷，週末耶誕假期，低溫可能達到寒流等級。氣象專家分析，今（2022）年適逢反聖嬰年，負北極震盪讓冷空氣無法鎖在極區，不斷向外擴散。預計一直到跨年，都有機會是偏冷的天氣型態。
天氣風險公司總經理彭啟明表示：「不是只有台灣或是東亞冷，其實在美國或是在歐洲，都面臨到今年入冬以來最強的冷空氣的襲擊。現在來看的話，可能會持續到今年的年底，或是明年的年初，才有機會告一個段落。」
專家提醒，近期氣溫將呈現不斷波動，回溫後又轉寒冷。年長者甚至中壯年族群，都要特別留意身體狀況。