Cold Wave Hits City as Temperatures Set to Drop to -2°C

Shanghai is under a blue alert for a cold wave, with temperatures expected to plunge by 8 to 10 degrees Celsius from Tuesday, the city's meteorological bureau said.

The weather on Wednesday morning was cloudy to overcast, with brief light rain in the eastern districts, and temperatures was between 7 to 10 degrees Celsius. Later in the day, skies will clear to partly cloudy, with temperatures falling to between 9 and 6 degrees from 4pm to 7pm, forecasters said.

Temperatures will bottom out early Thursday, falling to around 4 degrees in downtown areas and -2 to 1 degree in the suburbs, where light icing may form.

The cold air will ease from Friday daytime, allowing temperatures to rebound, with highs around 13 degrees Celsius. The weekend will bring crisp, sunny autumn weather, with temperatures rising to around 19 degrees Celsius.

Winds strengthened noticeably on Tuesday, with gusts reaching Force 6 on land, Force 7 along rivers and the coast, Force 7-8 in eastern Chongming, and Force 8-9 around Yangshan Port and offshore waters.

Around 9pm on Tuesday, blue alerts for strong winds were issued in Baoshan, Pudong, Fengxian, Chongming, and Jinshan districts, adding to the existing cold-wave warning.

Meteorologists urged residents to brace for strong winds, a sharp temperature drop, and a stretch of low temperatures.