City’s plum rain season ends, mercury to soar

AFTER alternate heavy rain and heatwaves, the 31-day plum rain season in Shanghai ended yesterday.

The city will enter the hottest period of summer, sanfu.

There will be high temperatures over the next four to five days due to the influence of subtropical high pressure, according to the meteorological authorities.

The mercury will reach as high as 37 degrees Celsius today.

Saturday’s temperature ranged between 27 and 34 degrees. The authorities issued lightning, rainstorm and gale alerts in the afternoon. There was over 30 millimeters of rain.

The city’s flood prevention office also reminded local departments to fully prepare for the heavy rains.

Compared with last year’s 42-day plum rain season, the number of wet days this year decreased, which was still eight days longer than the average 23 days.

This year’s plum season rainfall was 158.7 millimeters, almost 40 percent less than usual (243.1 millimeters), and 30 percent of last years’ precipitation (549.5 millimeters), according to the benchmark of Xujiahui meteorological center in downtown Shanghai.

Meanwhile, the three-month summer carnival has returned to Jinshan District. It kicked off with a special fireworks show held on the City Beach on Saturday evening. The fireworks turned the sky into a kaleidoscope of color and turned sailing boats into silhouettes. Live piano and DJ performance further enlivened the night.

A wide range of activities will be held in Jinshan until October 7.

There are also many activities for water sports enthusiasts such as wetbike riding, offshore fishing and yacht driving. Visitors can explore the district’s villages, stay in caravans or camps, or experience B&B stays at local farmers’ or fishermen’s houses.