Team leader Zhou Jun of the Yan’an Road E. Tunnel safety squad, cleans a drain inside the tunnel yesterday. The drain prevents rain water from going into the tunnel. In this scorching summer, temperatures inside the tunnel can be as high as 60 degrees Celsius, making it a daunting challenge for the team to do their maintenance work twice every day. — Jiang Xiaowei

THE week-old orange heatwave alert is likely to remain in place this week, the weather bureau said yesterday.

Today and tomorrow are forecast cloudy, with the mercury hovering around 38 degrees Celsius. A high of 39 degrees is forecast for Friday and it may hit 40 on Saturday, the Shanghai Meteorological Bureau said.

The city’s environmental protection authority warns residents of possible air pollution tomorrow afternoon and Friday.

Unsettled weather patterns may also bring afternoon thunderstorms.

The hot spell is hitting air conditioners hard. The Shanghai Household Service Association said it receives an average 1,000 complaints about air conditioner breakdown a day through its hotline, 962512.

“Air conditioners work all day, which increase possibility of a short circuit,” said Chen Dengfeng, chief technology officer of the association. He suggests turning them off for 30 minutes every four hours.

“Also, many of the air conditioners don’t work well because they aren’t cleaned.” Orange is the second-most serious of the four-tier warning system.