No respite as heat wave continues to torment city

There was no respite from the scorching heat in the city yesterday as the mercury hovered around 37 degrees Celsius.

The Shanghai Meteorological Bureau had issued a yellow alert yesterday morning, a warning that temperatures were likely to exceed 35 degrees Celsius.

The yellow alert, the lowest of the three-level color system, was issued at 8:45am.

On Tuesday, the bureau recorded temperature at 38 degrees, the highest daily temperature in Shanghai this year. Authorities issued an orange alert on Tuesday, the second-highest level, indicating temperatures could move above 37 degrees.

The weather will remain sunny and cloudy today, with the high reaching 37 degrees. But there may be some relief coming around the weekend when the mercury is expected to drop amid predicted drizzle.

The heat wave however is expected to stay for at least three days.

"The city is under the influence of a subtropical high," said Man Liping, a chief service officer of the bureau.

"Sizzling days are more likely to appear after the end of the plum rain season," Man said.

The coming days are likely to be the hottest of the year. The four hottest days recorded in Shanghai were all in July, with temperature reaching a record 40.2 degrees Celsius on July 12, 1934.

Shanghai has also entered the main flood season on July 1.

The bureau has said it will last for 92 days during which typhoons, rainstorms and floods are likely to hit the city.

Authorities have embarked on flood control measures, starting with renovating drainage systems.