Shanghai Daily news

Zhu Jiadong: Forecaster with the Shanghai Meteorological Bureau

'We just worked and worked and worked, forgetting meal times, taking breaks or going home. '

Zhu Jiadong and his colleagues are ready to work around the clock for another few days, as a new snow- storm heads towards the city.

From last Friday when the first heavy snow hit the city, he and many of his colleagues didn't get to their homes for a single day.

"We were afraid of making mistakes on our forecasts and causing more problems for people," he said.

Zhu said usually forecasters do not take readings at the outdoor observation sites at midnight. But during those snow-filled days, forecasters went to all of the sites in the city's 10 districts and Chongming County to record the latest figures every hour.

"At midnight, the temperature was well below freezing, and snow was falling heavily. Every going to take readings was frozen," he said.

Zhu said most of the forecasters were working like "supermen," including himself, as they had to collect weather information, update statistics and analyze specific weather conditions for short and long terms.

"We just worked and worked and worked, forgetting meal times, taking breaks or going home."