This year’s coldest day is forecast to arrive in Shanghai on Monday as the low temperature will see a sharp drop to minus 6 degrees Celsius in the suburbs and -2 degrees in downtown, local weather officials announced yesterday.

The strong cold front will affect the city from tonight to next Wednesday with gale-force winds, rain and snow expected in some areas. The temperature is expected to fluctuate between 2 and 5 degrees tomorrow, -1 and 3 degrees on Sunday and -2 and 4 degrees on Monday. The mercury will warm up to range from 2 to 11 degrees on Wednesday.

The Shanghai Emergency Management Bureau has reminded local residents to keep warm and safe during the frigid period and asked relevant departments to be fully prepared for the disaster weather.

Local water authorities have started strengthening water supply and emergency anti-freezing supplies, such as snow remover, industrial salt and sacks, have been prepared.

Around 2,600 crew members are on 24-hour standby for possible water system issues during the cold-front period, when more than 1,700 secondary emergency repair crews will be on-call as well.

About 400 kilometers of old water supply network in Shanghai have been repaired and upgraded ahead of schedule. So far, the city has completed the transformation for more than 3,000km of old water pipes.

In case of pipe bursts or freezing faucets in residential complexes, people can call 12345 to learn about the department or companies which are in charge of water supply facilities and request repairs.