Maybe it's a good thing that Typhoon Muifa didn't hit. The on-and-off lightning storm that started sometime yesterday has allegedly already killed three people. The victims were in places as far away as Pudong and Minhang. Two died after being struck by lightning, one passed away after a building collapsed. more ›

Prepare yourselves for Mufia, the latest typhoon that might be headed towards Shanghai. Forecasters reported yesterday that the typhoon is currently picking up steam and is expected to make contact with neighboring Zhejiang Province. Regardless of whether it hits Shanghai directly, its influence will still result in tons of rain and wind. more ›

Amid the worst drought to hit China in 50+ years, Shanghai is facing its lowest precipitation levels in 138 years! You've probably all been failing to properly appreciate the ease of hailing cabs, the lack of rusty umbrella wires poking you in the face, the extra space on sidewalks, and the cleanliness of your shoes and floors. From Xinhua: "Shanghai's urban areas have recorded just 132.9 mm of rainfall since the beginning of this year, the lowest level since 1873, said the report. Shanghai already experienced a dry and cold winter last year, with the the lowest average temperatures recorded in the city since 1978 . . . It is predicted that the city will face unusually high temperatures over the coming summer months, according to the report." So what we've gained in aridity we'll pay for later this summer in sweat. This weekend should see the end of this dry spell, however, as showers are predicted Friday through Monday. more ›

Thanks, you jerks! Anybody who stayed in Shanghai over May holiday probably noticed the disgusting amount of crap in the air. I know my sinuses definitely did. Turns out it's all the North's fault: sandstorms blown in from the region not only gave half of us the worst seasonal allergies ever, it also set air pollution records! more ›

Or so says Shanghai Daily, reporting that scientists have dismissed the internet rumor that the crazy ups and downs in temperature, the fogginess, and the upcoming "super moon" - which on Saturday will be 356,577 kilometers from the Earth, its closest in 18 years - had anything to do with the Japanese earthquake and tsunami. From the article: "Many natural disasters also happen on the Earth when there is no so-called 'super moon,'" said Bian Yulin, deputy director of Shanghai Astronomical Society. "It is always extremely likely that two incidents unrelated to each other happen at the same time." Astronomers advise Shanghai residents to enjoy watching the "bigger" moon on Saturday night and rest assured that it will not bring chaos to the city. Well, color me relieved. more ›

Just last week, everybody was marveling at how uncharacteristically warm it was and how nice we ended up having a fall after all (only in early December). Welp, it's over. The weather bureau says that the already chilly weather will drop into the negatives - probably hovering at around -1C in the city and -3 to 5C in the suburbs - and that rain clouds will bring a high chance of sleet and snow. So remember to put on some long johns and a good pair of boots before you walk out of the house. Winter hasn't just come, it's kicked your door down. more ›

While this morning was all blue skies and fluffy white clouds, the weather has changed quite drastically - and now, Shanghai's Meterological Bureau is saying that Shanghai's first day of school (tomorrow) will also welcome the first day of the Typhoon Kompasu. Expect heavy rainfall and winds between level 6 or 8 on the Beauford Scale (anywhere from between 39km/h to 74km/h). We'd argue from the storming outside that the MetBu's a little late - Typhoon Kompasu's already knocking at the door. more ›

Yesterday's thunder and lightning flash flood rain storm was so close you felt like you could reach out and touch it. Luckily, no one seems to actually have (unlike this unlucky worker on Tuesday), but some of you did brave the storm to snap some amazing shots, like this one above by Shanghaiist Flickr pool contributor FrasSmith. more ›

Remember how we went to Orange Alert a little while ago? The insanely high temperatures of the last couple of days have shocked Shanghai authorities into changing the color... to red! That's hardly any comfort to anyone walking outside right now, and I'm not really sure what the colors do besides tell us what we already know... but anyway, look forward to rain (but just a teeny drop in temperature tomorrow, and slightly more reasonable temperatures on Monday in time for the Qixi Festival. more ›

As if the 38C all-around Shanghai temperature mark wasn't high enough, apparently it's actually much, much hotter than that. Thanks to the heat island effect of all that concrete, temperatures at areas like the Bund (or heck, probably right outside your apartment) are really registering at around 45C (113F!!)! So for those of you unfortunate enough to walk around in areas with little shade this week, remember to always bring water with you and watch out for heatstroke. more ›

Not that you needed a color code to tell you it was damn hot outside, but the Shanghai Meterological office has now officially issued an Orange Alert on the weather, which is at a warm 30C now but is expected to rise, yet again to a highly uncomfortable 38C during the day. The last time temperatures reached Code Orange level was actually at the beginning of last month. Need ideas on how to keep cool (besides cranking the AC), check out this link. more ›

While today might be a little on the drizzly and muggy side (with a humidity of 80% - ugh), apparently the weather for the rest of the vacation will make up for the fact that many of you had to work on the weekend. Tuesday is set to be mildly breezy and sunny with temperatures of 22C to 30C and Wednesday promises even lower temps, though there may be scattered clouds. Anybody up for a picnic? more ›

Buffeted by the frightfully good weather (not too humid, sunny, hot but not burning), this weekend has been the best for Expo attendance so far! Over half a million people entered through the Expo doors on Saturday, reaching nearly 290,000 visitors by 10:30am and 503,600 hours before the gates closed. Jeez - what was the limit of people they can allow in at one time again? Looks like all that handwringing about low attendance numbers didn't take into account how tourists only like to wander huge theme parks when the weather is better. Hot tip: If you want to avoid long lines, go on days where you have to bring an umbrella. more ›

More photos on the Shanghaiist Contribute page. To see your photos on our Contribute page, use Flickr and tag your photos “shanghaiist”. Or you can email your photos to photos@shanghaiist.com and they will automatically appear on our site (and here). more ›

Thought today's weather was a drag? Well, buckle down, because it's not going to get much better. In fact, we'll be hit by another rain belt on Wednesday that will lower the already cool feeling 16C (thanks to the fine mist and pervading dampness) to a bone-chilling 6C. There's the chance the weather could be wrong - after all, they were a good 7C off last Friday (sorry anybody who expected it to be warm and cloudy and got 12C and rainy instead) - but it seems like the meteorological bureau always gets crappy weather right. more ›

Unlike lunar calendars and farmer's almanacs, Shanghai likes to determine the arrival of spring through the following formula: five consecutive days average above 10C. So despite today being a chilly 7C, Spring apparently arrived six days ago, ending the longest winter in 15 years. Hurrah! Bring out the skirts and you'll be able to wear them... after the weekend. more ›

My throat's been killing me this whole week - and while I at first thought it was the onset of some sort of sickness, I haven't gotten weak or feeble yet. This morning, I finally realized the culprit: those damn Northern sandstorms. more ›

I guess someone will no doubt bring up some statistics to prove me wrong, but this has to be the most snow days Shanghai has ever seen in a winter - and today's is a doozy! For the fourth time this year, it's snowed in the city. The first was back in November, then again in early January, once more for the first day of Chinese New Years, and now... in March, it's flurrying up again! If it's like any of the other snows, it won't stick - so reach out of your window and grab some before it disappears into slush. more ›

Today was a rainy, terrible, ugly no good day and tomorrow will likely be the same. But never fear, forecasters say, the sun will be here on Wednesday. Even better, the sun will likely stay through the next couple of days as well. Unfortunately, it won't really be warm - Wednesday morning will see a low of negative two degrees. So even if you do go out to get rid of the S.A.D., make sure you bundle up. more ›

While my feet would think different, apparently this has been one of the warmest winters Shanghai's ever known. The average temperature in the past three months this winter was 6.8 degrees, a full 1 degree above the 30 year average. Despite this being a "warm winter" - the 21st such since 1986 - seems like we're about to get another cold front. Temperatures will be dropping to a chilly 2 degrees next Monday. more ›

More photos on the Shanghaiist Contribute page. To see your photos on our Contribute page, use Flickr and tag your photos “shanghaiist”. Or you can email your photos to photos@shanghaiist.com and they will automatically appear on our site (and here). more ›

Did you really enjoy yesterday's weather? Wasn't the 21C in bright sunshine just so dreamy? Well we're cold snapping out of it. Apparently, on Saturday morning, temperatures are plummeting to 1 degree with drizzle - the perfect way to welcome in the Year of the Tiger, we suppose. more ›

Maybe the wind chill factor was down, but we didn't actually notice that yesterday was apparently the coldest day Shanghai's experienced this winter. The power plants did though, as electricity consumption hit its all time peak of 20 million kilowatts. About 7,000 plants have been alerted to the potential of a power shortage today, with usage expected to reach 20.5 million KW (generally, power demand is highest the second day of a weather change, apparently). We're not sure if this was related, but our apartment lost power this morning. It sucked. The rest of you out there, please, for the grid's sake, put on an extra sweater rather than turning the heat up another degree... or something. more ›

While our northern cousins might get enough snow to be sick of it by now, those of us who live south of 子午线 (Meridian line) still find it absolutely exciting when it snows. And for the second time this winter, we're getting it in Shanghai. Unfortunately, the chances of this sticking (and therefore allowing us to have snow ball fights and make tiny snow men) is slim to none, but we can dream can't we? In the meantime, take a break and look outside at our new semi-winter wonderland. more ›

If you thought the last few days were chilly, get ready to be miserable all weekend. According to Xinmin, we're in for freezing temperatures as a howling north wind causes Shanghai to cool quickly. Today, we can look forward to highs of 5C and lows of -2C. Temperatures will drop to highs of 3C and lows of -3C on Saturday before rising back to today's temps on Sunday. Weather experts warned anyone traveling over the weekend to bundle up, and to keep a close eye on outdoor water pipes and problems with electricity or gas. more ›

We hate to be the bearers of bad news, but it seems like another cold front is headed to Shanghai. While today might be a balmy 16C, it seems like Northern winds are headed are way, and they're bringing rain with them. Tuesday to Thursday will be wet and chilly, with highs of 11 to 13C and lows of 7 to 10C. We'll see the return of cloudy weather on Friday, just in time for the weekend. Yippee. more ›

According to Shanghai Daily, the "fog" alert was elevated to level red today, the highest of the three levels available for "fog" alerts. It was so bad it caused major traffic disruptions, particularly at Pudong International Airport, where 3,500 passengers were stranded until visibility rose above 50 meters. By 7:16am, the "fog" had started to clear, but that didn't stop Shanghai from still looking dreary and gross for the rest of the day. more ›

Shanghai Daily tells us that earlier this morning, snow sprinkled Shanghai for the first time this winter... just days later than they thought it would. We must've missed it, since by the time we woke up and got out in the street, there was nothing for us but damp sidewalks and dreary clouds. Alas - if anyone took pictures, we'd love to see 'em. But with Shanghai's first snow comes news that the cold front should be passing - temperatures will be rising to 9C and hover at around 10C for the weekend. Yippee. more ›

It looks like our unseasonably beautiful October was the weather gods' way of offering us a bit of kindness before smacking us down with cold (ice cold) fists of fury. According to weather experts, Shanghai may now be heading into its earliest winter this decade. Usually, winter arrives in early or mid-December, but if this cold front continues, the daily average temperature would not have exceeded 10C since Friday and winter will officially be declared tomorrow - just in time for the first predicted snow of the season! So bundle up, especially since it seems these low temps will stay with us until the weekend. more ›