A week of chills, sun and gales

By Lu Cai  |   2008-11-20  |     NEWSPAPER EDITION

THE minimum temperature is expected to fall to 4 degrees Celsius this week, after it dropped to 5.8 degrees yesterday - the lowest temperature this season, according to the weather bureau.

The maximum temperature, however, will go up to 15 degrees Celsius, forecasters said.

The maximum temperature was 11.5 degrees yesterday, said the Shanghai Meteorological Bureau.

The bureau also warned that a northwest gale, with a speed of 29 to 49 kilometers per hour, will hit downtown areas later this week.

The weather will alternate between sunny and cloudy until late Saturday, when the city is expected to get another spell of rain. The rain may continue until next Monday.

Local hospitals reported a 20 percent increase in the number of patients.

"Our out-patient and emergency services had patients with cardiovascular and respiratory problems," said Yu Fei from Shanghai No. 10 People's Hospital. The hospital usually receives 5,500 patients per day.

Xia Lin from Shanghai Children's Medical Center said, since last week, the hospital has been getting at least 700 children with high fevers every day.

He told parents to keep children warm and avoid taking them to public places where they could catch an infection.