More than twice the average amount of rain fell in the first 28 days of June, the Shanghai Meteorological Bureau said yesterday.
Since records began, the mean precipitation level for the period — as recorded at the Xujiahui weather station, which serves as a benchmark for the city — has been 165.7 millimeters. This year, the total was 339.8mm, the bureau said.
In northern Chongming County, the downpours were even heavier, totaling 615.4mm, while southern Fengxian District was the driest, though still far above the norm, at 199.8mm.
Yesterday's torrents were the remnants of the latest wave of the plum rain belt, and Chongming, as expected, saw the worst of them.
Between Friday and 11am yesterday, the total rainfall in Chongming was 225.5mm, followed in a distant second place by Baoshan District, with 97.4mm.
Today and tomorrow are set to be much drier, though the plum rain season has yet to wane completely, said Wu Rui, a chief service officer at the bureau.
"Generally, the season ends about July 10," he said.
With the coming days expected to be much less soggy, though not completely rain free, temperatures are set to yo-yo.
Today's high is likely to be about 28 degrees Celsius, before rising to 34 degrees tomorrow, the bureau said.
On Wednesday the mercury is forecast to manage no more than 26 degrees, before rising again to 30 degrees on Thursday.
Meanwhile, the recent storms have had a significant impact on the yields of local fruits, including waxberries and cherries, and growers have been forced to increase their prices.
The owner of a fruit store in Yangpu District said yesterday that the price of waxberries, which he was selling for 36 yuan ($5.8) per kilogram, had doubled since last week.
Sun Jun, an official with an industry association in neighboring Zhejiang Province, which is a major growing region for waxberries, said this year's yields are down at least 10 percent.