Taipei: Taiwan is on track to experience its second-coldest winter since 2000, with an average temperature from December to February of 17.84 degrees Celsius, according to the Central Weather Administration (CWA). This temperature is second only to the winter of 2011, which recorded an average of 17.58 degrees Celsius.

According to Focus Taiwan, the Director of the CWA Weather Forecast Center, Chen Yi-liang, stated that this winter’s average is 0.84 degrees colder than Taiwan’s historical average for the same period. The data is derived from the averages recorded at 11 low-elevation weather stations across Taiwan, including locations like Keelung, Taipei, and Taichung.

In Taipei, there were 39 days with temperatures dropping to 14 degrees or below, marking the most in the past nine years. Meanwhile, the distribution of rainfall was uneven, with the south experiencing average to above-average precipitation and the north seeing less rain. Nationally, the average rainfall of 190.7 millimeters was about 70 percent of the historical average, and the number of rainy days, 25.5, was the fourth-lowest since 1951.

Looking ahead, the CWA forecasts that Taiwan will experience average temperatures from March through May, with rainfall levels expected to be average to slightly below average. As the La Nina weather pattern weakens in the Pacific Ocean, spring temperatures are projected to return to normal.

Chen noted that despite this trend, Taiwan could still be affected by cold weather systems in March. Rainfall levels in March and April are anticipated to be low to average, while May’s precipitation, marking the start of the “plum rain” season, remains uncertain. Spring is typically a dry season in Taiwan, with the plum rain season bringing prolonged rainfall from late spring to early summer.