By Stephanie Chao, the Eye on Taiwan staff

Taiwan’s forecasters have warned of low temperatures later this week as a strong cold mass is expected to head to the island by Thursday.

Temperatures in areas north of Central Taiwan will likely drop to 8 degrees Celsius, three degrees lower than what was forecasted before. But warm weather will return next Monday, according to the Central Weather Bureau (CWB).

It also issued a land warning for strong winds across 18 counties and cities.

With the cold front approaching Taiwan, CWB also warned of foehn winds sweeping across the southeast area of the island.

From Wednesday, due to the effects of the northeast seasonal winds, temperatures in northern Taiwan could plunge to 15 to 16 degrees in the mornings and hover around 20 degrees in the daytime, CWB said.

Temperatures in other areas will also drop with highs around 23 to 28 degrees and lows around 17 to 20 degrees. The weather during the daytime will likely be warmer and slightly cooler in the evening, it said.

Sporadic rainfall is expected in northern and eastern parts of the island while drizzling is forecast in the mountainous areas of central and southern Taiwan, CWB said.