Shanghai to welcome Chinese New Year with sunny skies and warmer days

Local weather forecasters say Shanghai will welcome the Year of the Dragon with sunny and warm days.

The temperature will rise to 9 degrees Celsius on Friday although it is still cold in the early morning and at night. It will be slightly polluted today and tomorrow, so vulnerable people should take precautions, the Shanghai Meterological Bureau said.

The entire eight-day Spring Festival holiday, which begins on Saturday, is forecast to be mainly sunny or cloudy, with the temperature climbing gradually. The warmest day is expected to be Wednesday, with a high of around 19 degrees Celsius. Every day of the holiday should be ideal for outings or travel.

The temperature will drop in the later part of the holiday due to a cold front, which could cause rain one day and lower temperatures. The Friday next week will drop below 10 degrees.

Air quality during the holiday would be generally good, with slight pollution expected on Sunday because of low wind speed and around Thursday due to pollutants brought by the cold front.