Shanghai records earliest annual 30-degree-Celsius day since 1933

The temperature in east China's Shanghai Municipality hit a high of over 30 degrees Celsius on Tuesday – the earliest annual occurrence of the temperature point since 1933, according to the Shanghai Meteorological Service.

Historically, the city's first 30-degree-Celsius day of the year typically arrives in late April or early May, with March occurrences being rare. Data from the Xujiahui meteorological observatory shows that March temperatures at or above 30 degrees Celsius have occurred only twice during a 150-year period: March 20, 1933, and March 31, 1945.

Shi Jiawen, a climate expert, said that the temperature surge has resulted from the interplay between intensified cold southbound air due to the La Nina phenomenon in the equatorial central-eastern Pacific and warm northbound currents fueled by global warming. The two conflicting forces collided over the Yangtze River Delta, triggering dramatic temperature fluctuations.

The bureau has also forecast a sharp drop in temperature in the city in the coming days.

(Cover: Cherry blossoms in Shanghai, east China. /VCG)