Spring is sprung, but the mercury heads south

Shanghai is in official spring now, the second earliest in the city's weather history, the Shanghai Meteorological Bureau announced on Saturday night.

By Saturday, there had been five days in a row with a daily average temperature exceeding 10 degrees Celsius, which made Tuesday the first day of this year's spring.

The earliest spring was recorded on February 9 in 2016.

However, the arrival of spring doesn't necessarily mean mild weather, but rather a cold wave is about to sweep across the city.

The bureau has issued a yellow cold alert and a blue gale alert.  Sunday morning will by sleety or even snowy under overcast skies.

The low downtown will fall to freezing point, while suburban areas in western and northern parts will see their lows down as low as minus 2. Some areas will have thin ice on the ground.

The bureau warned residents to keep warm to avoid catching a cold. They are asked to eat well, take exercise and avoid working too hard.