The heat is on, with no let up in sight for city
Children play with bubbles in an outdoor pool in Minhang District on Saturday.
The meteorological bureau issued an orange alert, the second highest in the four-tier system, for heat at 1:24pm on Sunday. It has been released for five continuous days.
The maximum temperature was 37.6 degrees Celsius recorded at the benchmark Xujiahui meteorological center in downtown Xuhui District.
During the week the mercury is expected to remain between 28 degrees and 36 degrees every day with no rain.
There have been 13 hot days and eight continuous hot days over 35 degrees in August so far. According to statistics, the longest period of continuous hot days in two decades was in 2003. There were 19 continuous days with temperatures over 35 degrees.
The seventh typhoon this year is expected to form in the following two days near the mainland of the Philippines but it has no effect on Shanghai, the National Meteorological Center showed.
Due to the sultry conditions, many people suffered sunstroke. According to the city’s medical emergency center, there were over 1,300 of ambulance dispatches on Thursday, which broke this year's record.
Last Thursday was the city’s hottest day in three years at 38.6 degrees.
But the number of patients with acute sunstroke declined year on year, said Hu Xiaofeng, director of the emergency department of Xinhua Hospital. He added summer heat is just beginning.
Hu said that the number of elderly people suffering from heatstroke has decreased because they are staying in air-conditioned rooms. However, young people who work outdoors are prone to heatstroke.
Hu said the elderly should pay attention to their blood pressure during the hot days due to the fact that the hospital has treated 20 to 30 patients with myocardial infarction or cerebral infarction per day.
People should drink more water, especially salt soda water, instead of high-sugar and alcoholic beverages on hot days. When going outside, people should wear breathable and light-colored clothing with a sunhat and sunglasses.
If people have an increased heart rate and chest tightness with dizziness, blurred consciousness and weakness, they should immediately stop all activities and quickly find a shady, cool and ventilated place to rest.
