Is it snowing on Keelung’s highest mountain, which stands at 729 meters? Qianjiaoliao Mountain has turned into a silver-white world

▲Photo suspected to show snowfall on Qianjiaoliao Mountain. (Photo / Captured from Keelung Tourism Network Facebook page)

Reported by Chen Ruizhong / Taipei

Keelung Tourism Network today released a latest photo of Qianjiaoliao Mountain, captioned “Qianjiaoliao Mountain is snowing.” The mountaintop is covered in white, with frost forming on the trees, prompting netizens to exclaim, “It really is snowing!”

Located at the junction of Keelung, Xizhi, and Pingxi, Qianjiaoliao Mountain is Keelung’s tallest peak, but with an elevation of just 729 meters—far below the common snow line of 1,000 meters—it surprised many who saw the photos. However, some netizens questioned how it could snow given the altitude and temperature. This “white-covered” photo was also deleted later in the evening.

Verification with the head of Tai’an Village, where Qianjiaoliao Mountain is locatedZhan Renhao, who stated,that temperatures at the mountainside were still 15 degrees Celsius in the early morning, so it is speculated that there might have been only frost, not snow, at the mountaintop.Zhan Renhao also expressed uncertainty about the possibility of snowfall in the future under the open and windy conditions at the summit. But if it does indeed snow in Keelung, he believes villagers would be happy to share the latest updates with others.

The Central Weather Bureau also commented on the “Qianjiaoliao Mountain snowing” incident, stating,according to the inquiry results from the forecast center, the photo was taken by Mr. Sun Zhenguo on January 16 using infrared photography and posted on his personal Facebook. It may have been misshared, leading to widespread rumors.