Coolest summer since 2000

This summer looks set to be the coolest in the city since 2000, the Shanghai Meteorological Bureau said yesterday.

Yesterday marked the end of sanfu -- three periods forming the hottest period of summer -- according to the Chinese lunar calendar.

But Shanghai has only seen eight high temperature days, when the mercury reaches 35 degrees Celsius, four less than the annual average.

And last year's scorching summer saw 47 high temperature days -- almost six times as many as for 2014.

This year’s highest temperature was 36.6 on August 4.

Man Liping, a chief service officer at the Shanghai Meteorological Bureau, said subtropical high pressure has been too weak to control the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River this summer.

Cold air from the north, heavier rainfall and more typhoons moving northward also kept the mercury down, Man added.

Cool conditions are forecast for the next three days, with temperatures of up to 27 degrees and rain likely.