THE high temperature in Shanghai yesterday was a record in 20 years, according to local meteorological authorities, who also warned of a coming cold front.

A temperature of 27.2 degrees Celsius was recorded at the benchmark Xujiahui meteorological center in Xuhui District. The mercury touched 29 degrees in Baoshan District.

On this day in 2002 and 2019, the temperature was 24.2 degrees, the second hottest, according to the Shanghai Meteorological Bureau.

In contrast, China’s meteorological authority yesterday issued an orange alert for blizzards in several northern provinces and advised residents to avoid unnecessary outdoor activities. Snowstorms warnings were issued for parts of Heilongjiang, Jilin, Liaoning and Hebei provinces and the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, the National Meteorological Center said.

Local authorities were urged to strengthen inspection and maintenance of roads, railways, power and communications lines and work to ensure that public transport is not disrupted by blizzards, the center said.

The Shanghai Meteorological Bureau issued a blue gale alert, the lowest in a four-tier system, at 9am yesterday, suggesting that in the next 12 hours, the wind force will reach between 62 kilometers per hour and 74kph in local coastal areas.

It said the cold front will affect the city tomorrow night along with a fresh gale. The high temperature is expected to drop to 17 degrees tomorrow.

Rain or thundershowers are predicted for the weekend.

Also yesterday, the National Meteorological Center issued a blue alert for rainstorms in Hunan, Liaoning, Jilin, Heilongjiang and Inner Mongolia.

Heavy rains are expected to lash parts of the areas over the next 20 hours, with downpours of up to 120mm.

The center advised the public to stay vigilant for possible flooding, landslides and mudslides and suggested halting outdoor activities in disaster-prone areas.

China has a four-tier color-coded weather warning system, with red representing the most severe weather, followed by orange, yellow and blue.