Heat Wave warning puts Shanghai on red alert

Shanghai, July 26 : The city of Shanghai recorded another scorching day with the temperature hitting 40.5 degrees Celsius, weather officials said. A red alert for high temperature was issued.

According to Shanghai Central Meteorological Observatory on Tuesday, it was the third time that the city has seen temperatures over 40 degrees Celsius this month.

Shanghai recorded a temperature of 40.9 degrees Celsius last Friday, the highest on record in the city in 145 years, Xinhua news agency reported.

Heat waves have hit the city since the beginning of summer and are expected to continue until the end of July, meteorologists at the observatory said.

The extreme hot weather has increased the number of people suffering from sunstroke.

The government has suspended most outdoor work and warned the elderly and children to avoid outdoor activities between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. (local time). Some residential communities have opened their air-conditioned function rooms to the public. Volunteers have helped buy and deliver groceries for elderly or disabled residents.

China has a four-tier weather warning system, with red representing the most severe, followed by orange, yellow and blue.