Is Shanghai Going to Seed Clouds to Cool City Down?

By Bridget O'Donnell

Shanghai's sweltering heatwave continues, as the city has issued a second red alert — the highest in the three-tier system. 

Under a red alert, all non-emergency outdoor work must be suspended.

And as if breaking a 145-year-old temperature record on Friday wasn't enough, Shanghai weather is expected to stay sunny with temperatures hovering above 40℃ in some parts of the city for the next two days. 

Get used to this.

Here are the temperatures that were recorded around the city at around noon today:

The miserable heat has led some to speculate that Shanghai's local government might initiate "artificial rainfall" to help bring temperatures down. 

According to the Minsheng Social Labor News, the city did just that in August 2004 after a string of continuously hot days. In order to alleviate the heat, the government conducted a series of tests to see if seeding the clouds to induce rain droplets would cool things down. The experiment apparently worked, with each test releasing more precipitation, resulting in temperature drops between 5℃ and 8℃.

However don't expect that to happen this time around, as officials say the appropriate conditions aren't in place to "make it rain" this week. In order to initiate artificial rainfall, there need to be clouds that aren't too thin or low. If the sky is clear and there are no clouds — much like today — then there's not enough water vapor in the atmosphere, which means it would be impossible for artificial rainfall.

Minsheng Social Labor News also notes that cloud seeding isn't necessarily a safe bet for a city with lots of skyscrapers, and requires approval from multiple bureaus to carry out. They also point out it won't necessarily bring temperatures down, either. Bummer.

But don't fret — the end is (sort of) in sight. Starting from Wedneseday, temperatures are expected to gradually drop down to 31 degrees by the weekend, with highs of up to 34 degrees forecasted.

Meanwhile, the city's weather bureau last week announced that the heat will last through the end of July, with the first of two incoming typhoons expected to bring temperatures down... in August.

Last week, authorities also reminded the public to take the proper precautions to protect against the heat. That includes reducing time outdoors, especially from 10am-4pm, and drinking plenty of water — at least two liters per day.

[Images via Netease, Shanghai Daily, GBTimes]

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