Typhoon Halong, named after a Vietnam harbor, should bring some cool winds to the city, but won't actually hit Shanghai, said Yao Zuqing, chief meteorologist of the Shanghai Municipal Meteorological Bureau.

"Halong will not do any harm to the city but will bring some northeastern winds, which could help to cool things down," said Yao.

A low pressure system from the north is expected to arrive in the city early this week, bringing showers and more cool wind, but temperatures will still reach between 34 and 35 degrees during the first half of this week.

Next weekend is also expected to be a hot one.

Meteorologists predicted early last month that the city will likely see at least 15 days this summer with temperatures exceeding 35 degrees, almost double the number of scorching days in the city in an average year.

Local government departments are preparing for problems typically caused by heat waves.

Due to yesterday's hot temperatures, more than 200 apartments in a residential building on Huaide Road in Yangpu District had trouble with their water supply, forcing firemen to spend their time pumping 100 tons of water into the building.

"Our squad found that the dramatic increase in water use during recent hot days made the old pipelines break down," said Wei Jinguang of the fire department.

Since June, Wei and his squad have delivered nearly 1,000 tons of water to buildings facing similar circumstances.

Ironically, when temperatures go up, hospitals prepare to see more patients suffering from colds, the result of shifting between air-conditioned homes and the warm outdoors.

"So far today, we had received more than 10 people who caught cold, while there are only two or three on an average day," said a nurse at Renji Hospital.

Of course, not everyone is complaining about the warm weather. Sales of air conditioners, for instance, are booming thanks to the sticky heat.

"Daily sales this weekend were some 50 percent higher than average," said Zhu Wenjing of Guomei Electronic Appliance Company.

Those wishing to escape the heat can always try to get out of town for a few days, but be careful where you travel -- some parts of China are just as hot as Shanghai, if not hotter.

"I went to Hangzhou in Zhejiang Province with my friends this weekend," said Hu Dawei, a local 25-year-old. "It was so hot in Hangzhou, one felt worse than in Shanghai. We had to abandon our plans to visit some outdoor sites and play cards indoors instead."

Wuhan, in central China's Hubei Province, which is considered one of China's four 'furnaces' due to its unbearable summer heat, is expecting temperatures near 40 degrees Celsius for today. The city is already suffering through a nasty heat wave, with temperatures topping 38 degrees for three days in a row.

Xi'an is expecting the mercury to hit 38 today, while Beijing, Nanjing and Chongqing are anticipating highs of 37.

( July 15, 2002)