Shanghai's plum rain season officially started Friday, marking the beginning of three weeks of rainy and muggy weather for city residents, according to the local weather bureau.
The season usually starts in mid-June and lasts about three weeks. The season's name is a reference to the plums that are harvested around this time of year across the lower and middle reaches of the Yangtze River.
Weather officials consider the region's precipitation and humidity levels when determining the start of plum rain season, said Fu Yi, a press officer for the Shanghai Meteorological Bureau.
Typically, the season starts at the end of a five-day period during which it rains for at least four days and the high temperature rises above 22 C for at least three days. The weather bureau predicted that this year's rain showers will be more intermittent than the typical plum rain season, when it rains nearly every day, Fu said.
The Shanghai Meteorological Bureau issued a yellow alert Friday for rainstorms and a blue alert for wind. The yellow alert ranks third on the city's four-level weather warning system. The blue alert ranks fourth.
The weather bureau cancelled the rainstorm alert at 10 pm.
Weather forecasters predicted rainy and overcast weather from Saturday to Tuesday, with high temperatures ranging from 23 C to 26 C.
The average plum rain season lasts for 20 days, Fu said. Last year, it lasted for 18 days, from June 17 to July 4.
The weather bureau reminded residents to take precautions to prevent their clothing from getting moldy during the humid days to come.
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