2009 will get off to a freezing start

By Steffie Lu  |   2008-12-30  |     NEWSPAPER EDITION

SHANGHAI'S New Year's Eve parties may be hot, but the hangover will be a frozen one.

Temperatures will start dropping late today and plummet to a low of minus 2 degrees Celsius on New Year's Day, the Shanghai Meteorological Bureau said yesterday.

The good news is that the rain is expected to stop late today, and the city should enjoy sunshine for most of the three-day holiday, which starts on Thursday. Drizzle is expected to return late Saturday.

The maximum daily temperature will drop to 4 degrees on Thursday, after highs of 5 to 7 degrees today and tomorrow.

The mercury is expected to linger around 7 degrees for the weekend, forecasters said.

The minimum temperature will be around freezing all week. Forecasters reminded drivers and pedestrians to watch out for ice on the roads and sidewalks in the mornings.

Fog covered most suburban areas early yesterday but didn't cause much traffic trouble, the bureau said.

Forecasters said visibility will improve today as the wind becomes stronger.