Time to rug up as temperatures plunge below zero
Citizens in downtown Nanjing Road W. wear full-length coats.
Shanghai's temperatures will keep hitting below zero degree Celsius between December 26 and 29, the city's weather authorities have said.
The city's weather bureau issued blue, the lowest-level cold and gale alerts on Friday afternoon which remain in place. It then issued a yellow low-temperature alert at 5pm today.
Under the influence of a strong cold front, the lows in urban areas will be around minus 3 degrees on Monday morning, while the suburbs will see between -6 and -4 degrees with freezing and severe freezing.
Residents are forecast to experience a cold Christmas, as today's high is around 4 degrees with wind force increasing from this afternoon until tomorrow night.
The risk of stroke and heart attack will also increase with the drop in temperature. Middle-aged and elderly people with chronic diseases like hypertension and diabetes should take special precautions, said Shanghai Health Promotion Center on Saturday.
Elderly people should avoid going out in the morning and wrap up warmly if they have to.
Health officials said those with chronic diseases must take medicines under doctor's instruction and closely monitor their blood pressure and blood sugar. They should visit the hospital immediately if suffering symptoms like dizziness, numbness on one side of the body or chest pain.
The city's emergency bureau has reminded local departments to pay close attention to safety as the cold front passes.
The city's electric, water and gas departments have geared up for supply and maintenance work amid the frigid weather.
State Grid Shanghai Co has been in a level-three (second lowest) emergency response situation.
Drones, visualization probes and other high-tech devices have been deployed around the clock for monitoring and observing the conditions of main power trans line to prevent fault trips caused by external force damage.
There are 173 emergency power repair stations across the city, and more than 3,500 electricity workers are on 24-hour standby during the freezing weather.
More than 800 recovery vehicles, and 45 power-generating vehicles have been dispatched to prepare for the cold, the company said.
Residents who have electricity problems are advised to call the State Grid's emergency hotline – 95598.
The city's housing and urban-rural development authorities request local residents not to try and repair gas water heaters by themselves.
Also non-freeze-proof water heaters should be emptied to store water, and anti-freezing water heaters should be energized to prevent the machine from being damaged by freezing.
If there are any problems, call 962777 to ask for help.
Coats, scarves and head wear help keep people warm.
