Shanghai experiences wind and rain, while allergy season begins

Shanghai was hit by strong wind on Monday which triggered a blue gale alert in the morning, as the city feels the effects of Jianghuai cyclone, according to the local meteorological authorities.

Blue is the lowest tier in the weather warning system.

Rains and stronger wind are on the way, as the forecaster said.

Also, due to high humidity, low visibility weather such as rain, fog, and low clouds may occur in some places from tonight to tomorrow morning.

The mercury will range from 16 to 19 degrees Celsius on Tuesday with rainfall across most of the regions in the city.

The rain will remain until Wednesday, when the Qingming Festival falls, while the temperature is expected to continue dropping to between 12 and 16 degrees.

The catkin season, when irritating white cylindrical flower clusters detach from trees and are blown across the city, is here again.

It is estimated to last about a month and end in early May, Shanghai's greenery authorities said on Monday.

The timing is almost normal compared with previous years, according to the Shanghai Greenery Management Station.

Caution of allergy

People with allergies may experience coughs, sneezing and itching.

Catkins come mainly from the city's plane, poplar and willow trees.

Shanghai has about 276,000 trees along streets inside the Outer Ring Road, of which 48 percent are plane trees with the percentage even higher in downtown Huangpu, Xuhui, Jing'an and Changning districts, which will be most affected.

Trimming, spraying, dust curbing and advanced sweeping technologies are being used to solve the problem but elimination of all the flying catkins is impossible, the station said.

Anyone with allergies should wear long-sleeved clothing, masks and glasses. If a catkin gets in the eyes, they should wash them with clean water or wipe with a wet paper towel. Cold compresses with wet towels also help relieve allergic reactions.