66 -
Table showing the range of temperature between the mean of the hottest months
and that of the coldest months.
Taihoku.
Taichu ,
Tainan ,
Koshun
iMean-temperatiire
of the hottest moiUlis
82“. 4
81°.5
82°.4
81°.7
Meau-teiiiperatiii’e
of the coldest nionlhs
56.7
57.9
60.6
67.8
hlKFElìENOK
25.7
23.6
21.8
13.9
The following table shows mean temperature and extremes of maximum
temperature for the four stations.
T a b le of air temperature (average of five years, 1897 to 190! ) shown in Fahrenheit.
MEAN TEMPERATURE OF AIR
EXTREMES OF MAXIMU.A
TEMPERATURE
EXTREMES OF MINIMUM
TEMPERATURE
0
sc5
3 x<:j
C rt
C 'w
C3
x: V) 0
3
0 :S
3
x:0■[2
3 TO3TO
C
u> 0
0
'Hra
3 x:
’to
3TO3
N
33
x:
0
January . . 60.4 61.5 63.9 68.9 83.3 82 0 84.0 85.1 43.7 38.1 42 3 54.0
February . . 56.7 57.9 60.6 67.8 81,0 84.7 88.3 83.8 31.6 30.2 37.4 49.0
March . . . 62.6 64 8 67.3 72.5 85.5 87.1 89.6 89.1 46.9 48.6 46.8 46.1
April . . . 68.9 71.8 74.5 76 6 94.6 92.3 92.7 89.6 48.4 54.1 54.7 62.2
May . . . 76.1 77.7 79.7 80.2 97.7 94.3 95.2 91.8 58.3 59.9 59.9 65 8
June . . . 79.0 79.5 80.8 80.4 96.4 93.7 94.6 91.9 62,2 62.2 67.8 65.5
July. . . . 82.4 81.5 82.4 81.7 97.2 93.7 98.4 92.1 67.1 70.0 71.8 69.6
August. . . 81.5 80.8 81.5 80.4 95.5 94.3 97.9 91.4 71.4 71.4 71.4 70.3
September 78.4 79.3 81.0 80.1 95.3 95,0 97.9 90.5 62.4 65.1 65 8 65.7
October . . 73.6 75.0 76.6 77.5 93.2 92.1 84 5 89.6 54.7 58.8 61.0 65.8
November. 67.6 68.9 66.9 73 8 87.8 89.6 95.4 87.6 45.0 44.4 47.3 54.9
December. . 61.9 63 1 69.1 70.3 83.7 84.7 86.7 86.5 41.2 39.9 43.0 55.4
Mean. . . . 70.7 71.8 73.6 75.9
~ 67 -
As shown in the above table, in the southern part of the island, as
for example in Koshun, the temperature does not fall under 49° F. even in
February. As there is no remarkable cold season, many plants are to be seen
in flower in winter, there exist some distinctly tropical plants which are to
be found only at the southern extremity. But in the northern part of the
island, the temperature falls as low as 31° in February and therefore occur
some plants of northern elements. As the temperatur varies considerably
according to altitudes, so vegeta tion is also varied through the plains up to
the mountains. As there is no meteorological stations in the mountains, we
have no exact observations regarding the climatal features of the regions.
The general idea may, however, obtained from the observations made
by the present write r who made in 1908 an ascension to Mt. Randai
(8,700 ft.) in the southern part of Formosa. He observed that the hottest
temperature in a day in August was 67° F., at an elevation of 7,000 ft.,
while in the low-land it was sultry hot and the thermometer indicated 96° F.
There in the high elevations the vegetations are of temperate character,
such as may be found in Japanese mountains. Above an elevation of
10,000 ft., the temperature falls down as low as 43° F. As is indicated by
Mr. T. Kawakami, there the vegeta tion is of a cold region.
Humidity: This is a very impor tant factor for the vegetable growth.
It is quite regrettable that there is no observation about humidity in the
above stations. Still it should be mentioned that damp of air is sometimes
so extreme that it makes even a moderately high temperature feel intolerably
hot.
Winds are sometimes very strong, in the season of the southwest
monsoon, especially in August and September, and sometimes cause
great destruction of forests. The maximum records of wind-velocity are as
follows :
Taihoku, 97.3 miles in an hour;
Koshun, 85.7 » »
Tainan 59.3 » »
Taichu 52.1 » »
The vegetation of the island mayrotighly be divided into three regions ;
1) the Coast region ;
2) the Plain r e g io n ;
3) the Mountain region
i IÌììKm
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