page_title: January 2016 East Asia cold wave
section_title: Taiwan
hierarchical_section_title: January 2016 East Asia cold wave / Taiwan
caption_attribution_description: 中文（繁體）‎: 自大屯山山腳拍攝大屯山積雪情形
context_page_description: In late January 2016, a cold wave struck much of East Asia, parts of mainland Southeast Asia and parts of northern South Asia, bringing record cold temperatures and snowfall to many regions. Sleet was reported in Okinawa for the first time on record, and many other regions saw their coldest temperatures in decades. Snowfall and frigid weather stranded thousands of people across four countries. At least 85 people in Taiwan died from hypothermia and cardiac arrest following a sudden drop in temperature during the weekend of January 22–24. The cold claimed a further fourteen lives in Thailand, and snowstorms resulted in six deaths across Japan. This event was driven by a fast Arctic warming that occurred within the troposphere, forcing the Arctic Oscillation to change phase rapidly from positive to negative, facilitating the atmospheric blocking and associated Siberian high buildup.
context_section_description: A surge of cold air during the weekend of January 22–24 brought temperatures as low as 4 °C (39 °F) to Taipei, the lowest temperatures in 44 years. Yangmingshan, the Matsu Islands, and Kinmen all observed their coldest temperatures on record at −1.3 °C (29.7 °F), 0.3 °C (32.5 °F), and 1.3 °C (34.3 °F), respectively. Due to the subtropical climate, many homes do not have central heating or insulation, and residents struggled to cope with the temperatures. Overall, at least 85 people died from hypothermia and cardiac arrest in Taiwan, including 66 people in Taipei and Taoyuan, and another 16 in Kaohsiung. The majority of victims died in their homes. The Ministry of Health subsequently claimed only three people died and 45 were admitted to hospital emergency wards. Snow accumulated to 8.9 cm (3.5 in) on Jade Mountain.
  The cold weather caused severe damage to crops, with losses exceeding NT$20 million (US$600,000) in Miaoli County alone. President Ma Ying-jeou declared the crop damage a national concern.
caption: A 500-meter snowfall line on Datun Mountain in Yangmingshan, Taipei
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