It's going to be colder than an Eskimo witch's mammary the next few days, so hopefully everybody's got their thermal underwear for the chill of the next few days. The Shanghai Meteorological Bureau stated this morning that low temperature forecasts will drop by 7 to 9 degrees in the next 48 hours, with winds expected to reach up to 61 km/h. more ›

Photos circulating Weibo show that there is partial flooding in a tunnel on Shangzhong Road within the Inner Ring road here in Shanghai. more ›

For those of you who still think you're safe outside Beijing, researchers reported yesterday that downtown Shanghai's fog vapor harbors cancer-causing chemicals. Researchers at Fudan University found our fog to contain carcinogenic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) at levels ranging 0.03 micrograms to 6.67 micrograms per liter. more ›

Considering the apocalyptic gloom outside the window this morning, you may not be surprised to hear that our forecast has taking a turn for the worse this week. A cold front is sweeping over the city with rain, wind, and general misery until Friday. Wednesday morning lows are expected to drop down to 14 degrees Celsius, and while highs will hover around 20 degrees all week (not so bad), the wind chill will probably make it feel colder than it actually is. But don't worry! Things are supposed to be dry and bearable again before our Halloween party on Friday. more ›

Another less dramatic video after the jump... more ›

Don't let that sweat running down your neck on the subway this morning fool you, Shanghai. Just in time for the October holidays, we are getting hit with a cold snap beginning tonight and lasting at least through the weekend. Temperatures are expected to drop 8 to 10 degrees Celsius and stay there for at least a few days as a cold front moves in from the north and autumn tries to earn its earliest start in 25 years. Lows of 17 and highs around 22 are expected through Monday. As as we're catching the edges of Typhoon Nesat, currently bearing down on Hong Kong, we should also get a few other goodies like rain and drizzle pushing into next week. Happy holidays! more ›

If the cool temperatures stick around for just a few more days, we may see the earliest fall in Shanghai since 1986! The Shanghai Meteorological Bureau follows the same guidelines for declaring seasons as they do in Spring - "autumn is announced by the bureau when the 24-hour average temperature drops below 22 degrees for five consecutive days." We've been sitting around 21 degrees so far this week, but averages are expected to rise over the next few days and will probably postpone the announcement. While the average autumn start date over the last 30 years was September 27, many of us living in the city the past few years have appreciated much later autumns. But from last Friday to Monday, the city saw a drop of 10 degrees C! more ›

Record rains have caused serious floods in Guizhou, Sichuan, Shaanxi and Henan provinces, affecting a grand total of 12.3 million people according to the AFP, 12.3 million people were affected. 57 people have died so far and another 29 are missing. Here's a look at the situation in Guizhou. Don't miss the treacherous rescue operation toward the later part of the video. more ›

Millions and millions of fish have mysteriously dropped dead along Fujian's Minjiang River in recent days. The exact number is not yet known, but the Shuikou and Huangtian townships are home to some 9,000 tanks, each with about 3,500 to 5,000 fish, and all of them are dead now, so do the math yourself. more ›

No surprise here, except maybe the insane speed and degree with which smog swept back into the city following the closing of the Universiade in Shenzhen on Tuesday night. For ten days, the city experienced bright, clear blue skies with visibility up to 25 kilometers. By Thursday morning, that had plunged to 4-5 kilometers. So basically they went from Shire to Mordor in less than 48 hours. more ›

We didn't, and were quite amused to find out that the Shanghai Meteorological Bureau was actually giving out pointers on nose health. Apparently, they've been telling people to "rinse their nasal cavities between one and six times a day depending on weather and environmental conditions to prevent respiratory diseases" - advice that, based on everything we know about mucus' protective functions, sounds plenty terrible. Luckily, actual doctors have stepped in, arguing that "frequent wash or washing in a wrong way may damage the physiological function of the nasal cavity and may even cause other diseases." The Bureau has stepped down for now, withdrawing the products they'd recommended for nasal cleaning... but honestly, who was going to take health advice from a place that can barely do their actual job - accurately predicting weather - well? more ›

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 ›

People of Shanghai, take heed. Typhoon Muifa (梅花), which has been upgraded to a SUPER TYPHOON, the ninth in the country this year, is expected to hit Shanghai this weekend, according to the Shanghai Meteorological Bureau. 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 ›

A whirlpool swirls around a drainage pipe on Longfan Road in Nanjing, which has been battered by 36 days of continuous rainfall, the heaviest downpour the city has seen over the last decade. On Monday, several parts of the city received 100 millimeters of precipitation within two hours, paralysing the transportation network and submerging parts of the Shanghai-Nanjing InterCity Railway. more ›

Continuous downpours in Sichuan Province since last Thursday have killed eight people and left more people missing. The rain-triggered floods have affected the lives of 1.5 million people in four cities and 21 counties, says the provincial flood control office. more ›

Flood waters have broken through several dykes and inundated a total of 21 villages in Zhuji city in Zhejiang province. With more rain forecast for the next few days, the local government has been left scrambling for improved flood control and another round of disaster relief. more ›

Massive floods have been wrecking havoc all across China. Here's a quick look at the situation: more ›

Though the rain in Shanghai this week has certainly been an inconvenience, the human impact has been negligible compared to the ordeal other areas in China have been suffering. Downpours in Hubei, Hunan, Jiangxi, Guizhou and Anhui provinces began Monday evening, and hit Zhejiang province Tuesday morning. more ›

There's a heavy downpour of rain forecasted everyday this week and sorry to be the bearer of more bad news but as Shanghai Daily says "residents are almost certain to miss tonight's red moon, as the year's first lunar eclipse is set to be hidden by rain clouds over the city." The eclipse, which takes place in the early hours of the morning from 2:23am to 6:03am and will be the longest the world's seen in the past 11 years. Eclipse observers, you'll just have to sit tight until the next one which is on October 8, 2014. more ›

While Guizhou province is still reeling from devastating floods, a new round of torrential rain has battered Hubei province in central China, triggering floods and landslides that killed 50 and left another 40 missing. Tongcheng County, seen here in this video, was left submerged in water after experiencing 300 mm of rainfall within four hours, a record volume in 200 years. Elsewhere in China, the tropical storm Sarika slammed into Guangdong province, killing 23 people and leaving another 10 missing. more ›

More insane photos of the flooding in southern China that has killed a total of 54 people, according to the latest from Xinhua. Guizhou province was hardest hit, with 21 dead and 36 missing. Guizhou's Wangmo country recorded 4.1 inches of rain in just one hour, the most in 200 years! The torrential rains follow months of severe drought, and have wreaked havoc on 4.8 million people in 12 southern provinces. From AFP: more ›

Floods have taken 21 lives in Guizhou's Wangmo County (望谟县), with an additional 32 people being reported as missing. The torrential downpour that began on Friday has impacted 16 cities and counties in Guizhou province, affecting nearly 400,000 people, with 13,000 hectares of ruined farmland (32,124 acres) and an estimated 1.34 billion RMB in damages occurring in Wangmo County alone. 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 ›

Fierce hail and wind storms swept through Guangdong province on Sunday, hammering buildings, people, and crops with up to 50mm of rain (about 2 inches), winds reaching over 150kph (93mph), and hail as big as 8mm. 17 people were killed, mostly when walls and sheds collapsed from the winds. Trees were uprooted, houses knocked down, and newsstands said to drift 20 meters. Over 1000 hectares of crops were affected, and estimates put the total cost of damages at around 5.5 million RMB. Pictures above are mostly of Foshan, but Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Zhongshan, Dongguan, and many others were also affected. more ›

“Sandstorms can actually be called ‘coal dust storms’,” said Greenpeace Climate and Energy Campaigner Dr. Sun Qingwei. “Coal ash is a very tiny and light particle, easily picked up by wind. Winds traveling at 8 meters per second can already disperse coal ash up to 150,000 square kilometers from their origins in open-air dumping sites. And winds in a sandstorm are even stronger, with speeds of at least 25 meters per second - thus they can spread coal ash much farther. This means that even people who live far from thermal power plants in eastern and southern China must face the threat of coal pollution at their doorstep.”

For any of you who don't know already, local television currently provides Shanghai residents with something called a "Laundry Index" - a rating system letting you know whether to hang out your laundry (and providing one of the world's only official excuses not to do laundry!) Coming this summer, supplementing that brilliant trend will be the Shanghai Air Conditioner Index, a rating system saving you the trouble of asking yourself this question: "Do I feel physically uncomfortable enough to turn my air conditioner on/off/up/down?" more ›