TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Summer has arrived, and with it, warmer weather will largely prevail around the nation over the next week, though a southwest monsoon environment will also bring showers and the occasional thunderstorm, according to meteorologist Wu De-rong (吳德榮).
Highs of 34 degrees Celsius are forecast for the coming seven days up and down the country, particularly from Thursday (July 1) onward. For the most part, the north will be warmer than the south.
From Monday onward, the "Twin Cities" (雙北, "double north") of New Taipei and Taipei will experience mostly sunny and cloudy weather. Compared with previous weeks, showers in the afternoon are less likely, though rain is expected Saturday (July 3), according to the Central Weather Bureau's seven-day forecast.
Largely unannounced, drought has turned to plenty over the past month at reservoirs in the heart of the country, thereby ensuring supplies for Taiwan’s chipmakers. Hsinchu and Miaoli counties will experience daytime temperatures of between 27 and 32 C throughout the week, with no rain expected until Saturday despite the occasionally cloudy weather.
Taichung City and Changhua County, however, are set for showers from Sunday onward. Drier conditions are likely to prevail from Friday onward.
There will be a similar pattern down south in Kaohsiung and Tainan, with rain expected during the early and middle parts of the week. Temperatures will range from 21 to 31 C.
Meanwhile, there is a yellow signal in place for Taitung County in the east from Sunday (June 27), for the morning and late afternoon. A yellow warning signifies temperatures of up to 36 C.
Precipitation in central and southern parts of the main island of Taiwan is due to the influence of severe weather in China, commented Wu De-rong, at the department of atmospheric sciences for UDN. He added that the “unstable” southwest monsoon conditions would bring fairly hot but changeable conditions, with the possibility of flooding.
Meanwhile, air quality is satisfactory to good and set to continue until at least midweek.
