Shanghai breaks near-century heat record with 25 straight hot days

Shanghai's meteorological authority issued a yellow alert for high temperatures on Saturday morning, warning that maximum temperatures across most parts of the city are projected to surpass 35 degrees Celsius on the day.

The alert comes as the metropolis notches its 25th consecutive day of "high-temperature weather," defined as a daily high of 35 degrees or above, shattering a record that had stood since 1926, when Shanghai recorded 24 straight hot days.

By 11am, the temperature at the city's benchmark Xujiahui Meteorological Station had climbed to 35.2 degrees, pushing this year's total number of hot days in Shanghai to 44.

Typically, the Xujiahui station logs an average of seven hot days in August annually. Last year, the city set a historical record for the month with 26 such days, and this August has already matched that tally, with 26 hot days recorded so far.