Temperature in Shanghai hits record high

SHANGHAI, July 13 (Xinhua) -- Amid a searing heat wave, the temperature in Shanghai hit 40.9 degrees Celsius Wednesday afternoon, matching the city's highest temperature on record.

The Shanghai Meteorological Service issued an orange alert for high temperature at 8 a.m. Wednesday, which was later upgraded to red, the highest level. This is the second time in three days that the bureau has issued a red alert.

The last time Shanghai logged such a record-high temperature was on July 21, 2017.

As of Wednesday, Shanghai has had a total of 14 days with temperatures above 35 degrees Celsius so far this year, including eight days above 37 degrees Celsius and two days above 40 degrees Celsius.

According to the latest forecast, the high temperature in Shanghai will persist for the next three to four days and is expected to reach 39 to 40 degrees Celsius on Thursday.