City mercury hits a record high

By Lu Feiran  |   2008-7-5  |     NEWSPAPER EDITION

The maximum temperature in Shanghai reached 37.8 degrees Celsius yesterday, setting a record high for the year.

And the bad news is that the scorchers will continue for at least five days, according to forecasters at the Shanghai Meteorological Bureau.

The 2008 temperature record is expected to be eclipsed again today as the maximum may reach 38 degrees.

Forecasters said thunderstorms may hit late tomorrow in some areas, but would not help relieve the heat. They predict the highs will still be about 37 degrees on Monday and 35 degrees on Tuesday.

"The recent heat has been caused by the strong subtropical high after the plum-rain season ended," said Man Liping, a bureau forecaster.

Yesterday the temperature soared rapidly. At 12:30pm it had already reached 37 degrees in Xujiahui area.

At noon the Shanghai Central Meteorological Station, under the weather bureau, issued an orange heat alert - its second-highest on a four-level scale - which remained in place until evening.

It was the first orange heat alert this year. The alert indicates that the maximum temperature within 24 hours will rise above 37 degrees.

Forecasters urged people to stay indoors and employees working high above the ground to take protective measures during orange alerts.

Yesterday's heat created a record demand for power in the city, reaching a peak of about 20 million kilowatts at 1:40pm, the Shanghai Municipal Electric Company said.

Last year's daily peak was 21.2 million kilowatts, and the power authority said it was confident of coping with any extra demand.

The Shanghai Labor and Social Security Bureau, in conjunction with the Shanghai Economic Committee, earlier decided that all industrial enterprises should stagger their holidays from May to October to deal with the power peaks during hot weather.