Taiwan News
Date: 2016-01-25
By: Ko Lin, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

The cold spell will continue to blanket Taiwan throughout Monday, but chances for snow are likely to be slim, the Central Weather Bureau said.

Temperature in the greater Taipei area was recorded at 5.3 degrees Celsius in early morning, a tad higher than the previous day during the break of dawn.

“The low temperature will last through early Tuesday, but chances for the public to witness another snowfall will be slim because of the dry wind from the continental north,” the weather bureau said.

According to data collected from the 29 weather stations based around the island, temperatures across Danshui, Hsinchu and Suao saw record lows on Sunday, registering at 3.8 degrees Celsius, 2.8 degrees Celsius and 5 degrees Celsius, respectively.     [FULL  STORY]

RECORD LOWS:With thermometers registering just 4oC in Taipei, it was the lowest temperature recorded in the capital in 44 years and the second-lowest ever

Taipei Times
Date: Jan 25, 2016
By: Staff Writer, with CNA

A rare sight of snow wowed people nationwide yesterday, from Taipei to

Pingtung County.

Under the influence of a strong cold air mass, many places in Taiwan — even those located at an altitude of only 400m to 500m — received a covering of snow or soft hail overnight, exciting locals, who likely have never seen snow in real life since they were born.

Despite low temperatures, people were seen swarming to elevated areas, including Keelung’s 726m-high Jiangziliaoshan (姜子寮山), Taipei’s Yangmingshan (陽明山) and New Taipei City’s Linkou (林口) and Pinglin (坪林) districts, to appreciate the natural beauty of the snow.

As of yesterday morning, the accumulated snow had reached 20cm in Taoyuan’s Lalashan (拉拉山) Forest Recreation Area.

The Motian (摩天嶺-) mountain area along the Southern Cross-Island Highway also reported showers of snow started at 4am yesterday, as well as on Yunlin County’s Jiananyun Peak (嘉南雲峰), where snow began falling at about 11am yesterday at an altitude of about 1,500m.     [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2016/01/24
By: Cheng Chi-fong, Kuo Chu-chen, Bien Chin-feng, Kuo Chung-han and
Elizabeth Hsu

Taipei, Jan. 24 (CNA) A king-size cold spell had taken a toll of at least 85

lives in Taiwan as of Sunday evening, including 35 deaths reported in Taoyuan in northern Taiwan.

Taoyuan City Fire Department said between early Sunday and 7:00 p.m. that day, seven people were dead, probably because of hypothermia or cardiac diseases caused by the sudden drop in temperature.

During the previous two days, the department said, 28 OHCA deaths in the city were believed to be caused by the cold front. Out-of- hospital cardiac arrest is also known as dead-on-arrival (at hospital).     [FULL  STORY]

Taiwan News
Date: 2016-01-24
By: George Liao, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

Low temperatures that have brought snow to many areas in Taiwan have also

caused severe losses on fish farms along the coast of Tainan City in southwestern Taiwan.

Many fish farmers in the area were busy salvaging dead milk fish on Sunday morning. They feared that all of their milk fish might have been killed by the cold snap that has impacted Taiwan since Friday.

Huang Shang-li, a borough chief in Tainan’s Cigu District, said the temperature in Jiali District early Sunday morning was 5 degrees Celsius, which meant the temperature in the neighboring Cigu District, which is closer to the coast, was even lower.     [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2016/01/24
By: S.C. Chang

Taipei, Jan. 24 (CNA) The Directorate General of Highways announced

Sunday the closure of 10 sections of provincial highways from 5 p.m. that day in anticipation of drier weather that could make the roads icy as a cold front continued to hit Taiwan.

In northern Taiwan, the Huangxi-Yangmingshan section of Provincial Highway 2A, which is from the 9-kilometer mark to the 22-km mark; the Xiaogetou (24km)-Toucheng (69km) section of Provincial Highway 9; and the Guangxing (6km)-Xiaoyi (20km) section of Provincial Highway 9A were closed.

In central Taiwan, the Baling (47km)-Qilan (86km) section of Provincial Highway 7, the Nanshan (30km)-Songmao (69km) section on Provincial Highway 7A, the Biluxi (99km)-Ci’en (133km) section on Provincial Highway 8, and the Cuifeng (18km)-Dayuling (41km) section on Provincial Highway 14A were off limit.     [FULL  STORY]

More than a dozen reported deaths in greater Taipei

Taiwan News
Date: 2016-01-24
By: Ko Lin, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

More than a dozen people have died in greater Taipei as a result of the frigid weather, the Executive Yuan said Sunday, advising those with chronic illnesses and the elderly to stay warm amid the cold spell that lasts through Monday.
Temperatures plummeted to 4 degrees Celsius in Taipei at the break of dawn, a new low in 43 years, according to the Central Weather Bureau.

As of press time, the number of sudden deaths alone has amounted to 21 in the last two days. Authorities cited that majority of the victims suffering from cold-related symptoms died shortly after being rushed to hospital.    [FULL  STORY][

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2016/01/24
By: Cheng Chi-fong, Kuo Chu-chen, Kuo Chung-han and Elizabeth Hsu

Taipei, Jan. 24 (CNA) A king-size cold spell had taken a toll of at least 52 lives in Taiwan as of Sunday afternoon, including 16 deaths reported in Kaohsiung in southern Taiwan.

A total of 16 people were rushed to hospitals in the city since Jan. 22, all of whom showed no signs of life upon arrival, officials of the Fire Bureau of the Kaohsiung city government said Sunday.

The 16 deaths were mostly caused by the onset of cardiovascular diseases as the mercury dipped suddenly, the officials said, noting that the victims were aged between 65 and 93.

Since Saturday, 36 deaths had been reported in Taipei, New Taipei and Taoyuan in northern Taiwan. The relevant authorities attributed the deaths to hypothermia or cardiovascular diseases as the temperature fell to 4 degrees Celsius in most part of northern Taiwan Sunday.     [FULL  STORY]

Taiwan News
Date: 2016-01-24
By: Ko Lin, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

For the first time since 43 years, Taipei experienced a record low temperature of 4 degrees Celsius on Sunday, the Central Weather Bureau (CWB) said.

The cold spell also brought snow to the Yangminshan National Park on the outskirts of the city. Juzhihu, a popular destination for calla lilies, even saw 5 centimeters of snow in the morning, a first since 2009.

Yushan, Taiwan’s tallest peak, also saw snowfall at 11:48 p.m. Saturday due to increasing moisture in the air, the CWB said.

The 400- 1,000-meter range mountain areas around Taipei’s Wulai, Linkou, Hsichi and Pinglin also received rare snowfall since late Saturday evening, according to reports.     [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2016/01/24
By: W.T. Chen and Flor Wang

Taipei, Jan. 24 (CNA) The worst cold wave hitting Taiwan in 10 years has

sent the mercury plummeting throughout the island, with Taipei seeing the temperature drop to 4 degrees Celsius in Sunday morning, a new low in 43 years, according to the Central Weather Bureau.

However, the lowest temperature in flatlands in northern Taiwan was posted in Hsinchu, where the mercury fell to 2.8 degrees, it noted.

Yangmingshan National Park in the outskirts of Taipei has seen five centimeters of snow accumulated in the Zhuzihu (竹子湖) area, the bureau said.     [FULL  STORY]