Affected by the cold front, the probability of seeing the first sunrise in eastern Taiwan on New Year's Day may be less than 10%.

▲ The probability of seeing the first sunrise in eastern Taiwan on New Year’s morning may be less than 10%. (Photo / Provided by Weather Risk Management Development Co.)

Reported by Huang Shiyuan / Taipei

Friends hoping to welcome the first sunrise of 2014 in eastern Taiwan may need to prepare themselves for the possibility of not seeing it. Jia Xinxing, director of the Meteorological Environmental Resources Department at Weather Risk Management Development Co., pointed out that due to the influence of this cold front, most areas in eastern Taiwan will experience mostly cloudy to rainy weather on New Year’s morning, and the chance of seeing the sunrise may be less than 10%.

The second cold front of the winter season arrived today, the 26th. Jia Xinxing said that although this cold front will weaken by the 30th and 31st, due to the influence of the east wind and the eastern terrain, there is likely to be more moisture and cloud cover on New Year’s Day. Based on current data, the public may have to search for the sun through gaps in the clouds, and the chance of seeing the sunrise could be less than 10%. Even Alishan in western Taiwan is affected by the cold air mass, with about a 30% chance of seeing the dawn, though the likelihood of seeing sea of clouds is even higher.

On the contrary, the outlying islands of Kinmen, Matsu, and Penghu have a higher chance of seeing the sunrise. The weather on New Year’s Day is expected to be mostly cloudy with some sunshine, and Jia Xinxing believes the probability could reach 50–60%.

Additionally, the earliest sunrise time across Taiwan is at 06:33 on Orchid Island, followed by 06:34 on Green Island, and both Taitung’s Sanxiantai and Taimali at 06:36. As for Alishan, the sunrise is estimated at 06:39. However, due to the high amount of cloud cover, seeing the sunrise may require quite a bit of luck.