Weather will cool this week after a hot start to May

It will be cooler this week after a hot start to May, according to the Shanghai Meteorological Bureau.

Monday is set to be cloudy, with intermittent showers, and the high will drop to 22 degrees Celsius. Weather conditions will remain stable, mostly overcast to cloudy, from Tuesday to Friday, with the low hovering around 16 degrees and the high around 25.

The city experienced summer-like temperatures from late April. In downtown Xujiahui area, the high climbed to 28.5 degrees on April 29 and further rose to 30.1 degrees on April 30. It hit 31.2 degrees on May 1, which is so far the hottest day of the year. 

Last Saturday marked lixia, or "summer begins," according to the Chinese lunar calendar. But meteorologically, five consecutive days with average temperatures above 22 degrees are required for an official declaration of summer.

Shanghai is still in the late spring period of lixia, where it’s common for the daily high to reach over 25 degrees while the average temperature hovers around 20. 

In Shanghai, summer usually comes in late May after the arrival of xiaoman, or small grain, which heralds hot and humid days, the weather authority said.