More Snow

It's been snowing non-stop for the past two days here in Shanghai. It's not supposed to snow here at all, but it's been coming down in a steady powdering of big fluffy flakes.

When it snowed here last month, everyone was excited to see the city covered in white, & it melted the next day. This time there's slush on the sidewalks & ice on the streets, & it has the whole city a bit testy.

People totter gingerly down the street as if they're learning how to walk. Umbrellas bounce off each other as people trudge to work. More people than ever are packing themselves onto the subway, choosing to get smushed rather than brave the outdoors - even though half of them decided to stay home today anyway. There were several empty chairs in the office today.

I'm looking at it as a chance to practice for Harbin & the Ice Festival. Too bad there are no hills here for snow sledding. Maybe I'll go out & make a few teeny snowmen to help liven things up a little.

Photo of the Week: Let It Snow

Snow!

It's snowing in Shanghai!

I left work tonight to find all the world lightly powdered with fresh snow & more flakes drifting down all around. The air was crisp, like a new beginning, & it made me feel cheery. Perhaps it's because it's Christmas time. Perhaps it's because I'm starting a new job & I feel hopeful. Perhaps it's just because snow is beautiful.

A few years ago I never would have believed that I could feel happy at the sight of snow. I moved to Arizona to get away from the slush & the muck of Ohio winters, swearing I would never go back north. But today I was delighted to feel the fluffy flakes on my face, to see everything turning white around me.

I took out my camera & started snapping photos, feeling like an awkward tourist, until I looked up to see several other people taking photos too. It doesn't normally snow here in Shanghai, & it's got everyone charmed.

SMOG!

You may have noticed that I've been posting current photos of the view from my apartment at various times of the day on the left-hand side bar (<-- over there). If you are reading this post on Facebook or through an RSS feed, you can click here to go to my homepage to see the latest photo posted every couple of days.

Check out the one I took this morning. This is probably the worst smog I've seen since I arrived in Shanghai in January. Some people say that now that the World Expo is over, the government won't be cracking down so hard on the factories, & whatever semblance of clean air that we enjoyed over the summer will be a fond memory.

The Shanghai government lists the air quality records here. Notice that the day after the Expo closed (Oct 31), the stats for nasty chemicals in the air shot up from about 50 to over 150. Doesn't that make you feel good about driving that hybrid you just bought?

Electric Storm

Today was an awesome day for weather in Shanghai.

This morning as I was getting ready for work, the air was utterly palpable. Although it wasn't raining - yet - the sky was making scary rumbling noises. Then I heard an amazingly sharp CRACK! outside my window. Lightning had struck very close by, causing car alarms around the neighborhood to reel. As I reached to unplug my laptop, I felt an intense electrically charged pressure, making me wonder what being struck by lightning would be like.

I quickly grabbed my keys & headed out to work, hoping to make the five-minute walk before the heavens started pouring out the rain. I nervously descended 22 floors in a metal elevator. Just outside the front door of my apartment building, huge drops of rain thwapted against the pavement. I could almost walk between them, they were so far apart. 50 feet away from the door, no rain was falling as a dry wind whooshed past me. The air pressure was intense.

I walked briskly down the street, eyeing the revolving door at the entrance to the mall. I was sure I would make it. I only had to cross the street & I would be safely inside. Just then a wall of water crashed down in front of me, blocking my way to shelter.

I ducked into a noodle shop for cover, & stood at the window, watching the rain spray the street & passers by for a solid 15 minutes. Eventually, it eased enough for me to make a dash across the street. I arrived to work only slightly soaked. For the rest of the day, all anyone could talk about was the weather.

Fudging the Weather

According to Shanghaiist, we've moved from the previous Orange Alert on the weather to the current Red Alert issued yesterday by the Shanghai Meterological office. That means that it was friggin' hot out there before, but now it's - well, it's hotter than that.

Apparently, if the temperature reaches 40 degrees Celcius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) here in Shanghai, we all get a day off. So far, the official temperature reports are hanging around 39 degrees. Many Chinese people say that the weather bureau fudges the numbers so that the Shanghai machine doesn't grind to a halt. Whether that's true or not, I'm so glad to have a nicely air conditioned job.

Okay, Yep, It's Hot

I'm from Arizona, where most of the summer is spent above 100 degrees Fahrenheit, & we're even blessed with a couple of weeks above 110. So when I came to China in January & everyone started warning me about the oppressively hot summers here, I waved them away - you don't know from hot.

Though it was unbelieveably cold for a while there - cold being relative, I suppose. It didn't snow or anything, but I spent my first month or so wearing my winter cap to bed because my space heater didn't give off enough heat to keep me warm overnight. It got a little better as the months went on, but long about May I started thinking that Shanghai may never warm up. By July - the middle of the summer - I had given up on this mythological "unbearably hot" Shanghai summer.

Then August came.

The news has claimed a high temperature of 100 degrees Farenheit for the last few days here, & they don't see it letting up any time soon. In fact, it feels a lot hotter than that as I take my five-minute walk to work in the mornings. The electricity has cut out several times in my apartment over the last few weeks, & I can only guess that it's due to system overload - everyone must be using their air conditioners.

Menace!

I was rudely awaken at 5:00 this morning by a gang of mosquitos. I guess it's time to close the window & put on the air conditioner.

Rain

People certainly don't come to Shanghai for the weather.

Blue Skies!

I can't remember that last time I saw the sky in Shanghai. It's been overcast almost every day since I got here in January. Too bad I have to work inside today.

The Winds of Change

Whew! It's been really windy that last few days here in Shanghai. I wonder if it's finally going to turn warm.

Overcast

I can't remember when I saw stars last. Was it in Vietnam? Or was it even before that? The sky here in Shanghai seems to be permanently overcast. I think I'm due for a trip out of the city.

The Rain

"The rain. Sometimes it gives me the blues."

Shivering

Hey! What happened to the nice weather?

Rain

It rained all day today. It must be winter.