Young women in leather miniskirts; mobile ice cream vendors doing brisk business; and the drabness of winter making way for a splash of color around Shanghai - unmistakable signs that spring is just around the corner.
If the average daily temperature today remains above 10 degrees Celsius, as local weathermen have predicted, tomorrow will be the official beginning of spring in Shanghai.
While in the West the season normally begins with the vernal equinox around March 21, in China its advent is marked when average thermometer readings exceed 10 degrees for five consecutive days.
The average for Friday, Saturday and Sunday was around 15 degrees, and it is expected to remain in plus-10 territory at least till tomorrow, said Shanghai Meteorological Bureau.
"Tomorrow's high should run around 22 degrees Celsius, with lows of about 13," Dai Xinfu, the city's chief meteorologist, predicted Sunday.
Dai attributed the recent warm days to an absence of cold air mass from northern China and southerly winds.
The weather bureau revealed that the advent of spring advanced to mid-March from early April nearly 10 years ago due to global warming. Last year, city residents greeted spring on March 18.
"This year is the 14th 'warm' winter for Shanghai. Since a strong cold air mass was absent, residents were spared any frigidity, with no sub-zero temperatures in January and February," said Dai.
Even with the seasonal trigger, don't look for a solid run of sunshine just yet.
A blanket of clouds and perhaps showers are due this week as a cold front is expected to arrive and low pressure trough may take control again, said Dai. The average temperature is likely to hover around 13 degrees Celsius this week.
(eastday.com March 11, 2002)
