If you were hoping for some respite from the scorching weather, the news is bad.

Shanghai weather experts said yesterday the big heat will continue for the rest of the month - and you can add rain into the equation.

For the rest of this week, the daily maximums are predicted to be about 35 degrees Celsius. Thunderstorms may hit some areas of the city from late afternoon until about midnight on Thursday and Friday, the Shanghai Meteorological Bureau said.

The maximum temperature for the summer is expected to reach 39 degrees.

Rainfall for the month is forecast to range between 70 and 100 millimeters.

From July 21, typhoons are expected to form in the Pacific Ocean and affect China, with some fallout in Shanghai the forecasters said.

Yesterday the maximum temperature dropped to 35.3 degrees, but the bureau issued a yellow heat alertthat stayed all day.

The demand for power in the city yesterday reached a peak of 21.1 million kilowatts at 1:25pm, according to the Shanghai Municipal Electric Company.

Officials said some areas suffered brief power cuts because of overloading and that this trend may continue.

Officials have called for power conservation in the summer. For instance, office buildings and markets should keep air-conditioning temperatures above 26 degrees.

(Shanghai Daily July 8, 2008)