Temperatures of southern Taiwan have soared in recent days, with a new high at 36.2 degrees Celsius detected in Pingtung County's Sandimen area earlier this week.

The Central Weather Bureau said that the hot weather is caused by the long exposure to sunlight and the cloudless sky, and people are advised to increase water intake to avoid dehydration.

The Central Weather Bureau's monitoring station in Pingtung County's Sandimen recorded Taiwan's highest temperature so far this year of 36.2 degrees on Tuesday.

Ms. Lee, who runs a local beverage stand, says that many people feel uncomfortable and lose their appetites in the heat, and that she has never experienced such high temperatures so early in the year before.

However, her daily sales more than doubled from 40 beverages to 100 on Tuesday.

According to the CWB, only northern Taiwan benefited from the arrival of the northeast wind on Tuesday.

Due to fewer clouds, southern Taiwan faces greater exposure to sunlight and is therefore more susceptible to higher temperatures.

This year's winter was also unusually long, and an all-time low temperature was recorded in March.