The mercury is set to go sub-zero today after an icy cold front whipped through Shanghai yesterday.
The Shanghai Meteorological Bureau issued a yellow frost alert — the second in a three-tier system — at 5pm yesterday, and warned that temperatures could fall to minus 3 degrees Celsius in parts of Chongming County and the districts of Fengxian, Qingpu, Jiading and Baoshan.
Farmers in those areas are advised to do all they can to protect their crops, the bureau said.
In downtown areas the chill won't be quite so big, though the mercury is unlikely to rise above 7 degrees and could drop to zero, forecasters said.
Despite the cold, the outlook will be sunny with some cloud, the bureau said, adding that tomorrow will be significantly warmer, with a low of 4 degrees and a high of 13.
With the arrival of the cold snap, the civil affairs authority said yesterday it will dispatch more officials to provide help to people living on the street.
"Teams will provide food, quilts and hot water to anyone found sleeping rough," said Zhu Xifeng, an official from the Shanghai Rescue Station.
"They are not obliged to go to a homeless shelter," he said.
