City gets ready for spring despite drop in mercury
AFTER being warm and dry yesterday and today the temperature will plunge tomorrow as another cold front moves over the city, the local meteorological bureau has forecast.
The temperature will drop from a high of 24 degrees Celsius today to 13 degrees tomorrow. It will fluctuate around 14 degrees for the rest of the week, with the low between 7 and 11. Light rain will fall for the rest of the week.
The official start of spring is expected this week. According to the current forecast, the average temperature of five consecutive days will be more than 10 degrees to Wednesday. This is the meteorological standard to establish spring has officially arrived.
The air quality will be good until tomorrow, the ecology and environment bureau said.
Meanwhile, the city’s greenery authorities said it’s time to appreciate cherry blossom.
More than 50 percent of some cherry tree varieties at the Chenshan Botanical Garden in suburban Songjiang District have flowered, nearly one week earlier than usual. The best appreciation period is expected next week.
Kawazu-zakura cherry blossom, traditionally one of the earliest to bloom and the most common variety of cherry blossom in Shanghai, has flowered at the garden.
The kawazu-zakura blossom features large, bright pink petals.
The garden has about 58,000 square meters of cherry trees in about 80 varieties. A 1.5kilometer boulevard of the flowers creates a dream-like pink tunnel.
The warm temperatures over the coming days will further accelerate the blooming of the flowers, the Shanghai Greenery and Public Sanitation Bureau said.
Unlike other cherry trees in bloom for only a few days, the kawazu-zakura can stay that way for a month.
At the Shanghai Botanical Garden in Xuhui District, some cherry trees have also flowered.
Luxun Park, Zhongshan Park, Tongji University and Gucun Park are other good spots to appreciate the flower.
Other flowers such as magnolia and plum blossom are in full bloom in the city as well.