Shanghai Experiences Coldest Weather in 40 Years

Shanghai, the financial hub of China, is expected to record its coldest period in December in four decades, prompting authorities to issue warnings about falling temperatures and winds. Northern cities are also struggling with frost, which is expected to ease next week. The Shanghai Meteorological Bureau stated in a post on its Weibo account that temperatures in the city today, Thursday, will range from four to six degrees Celsius below zero in the suburbs, and temperatures will remain below zero throughout the day across the city. Wang Kaiyun, a 59-year-old cleaner from the suburbs of the city who commutes on an electric scooter, reported that the temperature during her hour-long trip today was less than five degrees Celsius. She added, "Although I was wearing gloves, I quickly lost feeling in my hands and they are still hurting now." While temperatures in the city are still much warmer compared to northern China, where temperatures in many regions have dropped to record lows in recent weeks, this cold weather is unusual for Shanghai. The local meteorological bureau expects the minimum temperature at one monitoring station in the city center to remain below zero for five consecutive days until December 25, marking a cold wave that has not occurred in this month for 40 years. This unusual severe cold is a result of a strong wave of cold air coming from Siberia, which has spread across China since the middle of last week.