The weather having cooled down appreciably, the city has been spared the scorching heat and the power-supply tension in recent days. However, local meteorologists insist summer is not over yet.

　　The city's minimum temperature hit a low of 22.8 degrees Celsius yes-terday, only 4.5 degrees higher than the historic low for the date in 1877.

　　Today's low is expected to be 23 degrees and the maximum may be 28 degrees, 2.5 degrees higher than yesterday, according to Yao Zuqing, chief meteorologist of the Shanghai Meteorological Bureau.

　　Yao added that showers are likely over the following days and the mercury will rise, but gradually.

　　The frequent change in temperatures have had a fallout on people's health, with local hospitals receiving more patients now than during the scorching days.

　　"Our outpatient and emergency departments have so far received more than 2,000 patients today (yesterday). Many of them are suffering from cold, fever, diarrhea and chronic diseases like hyperten-sion, stroke and other cardiovas-cular ailments," said Hu Jianping, a spokesman for the Shanghai No 8 People's Hospital.

　　"We only had 1,800-odd patients in the previous days when it was higher than 35 degrees."

　　Doctors blamed the rains for people catching cold.

　　"During change of weather, elderly people and children are more prone to catch disease. They should be especially careful," Hu added. "In addition, the sudden rise and fall in temperatures poses a danger to people, as the blood vessels shrink and expand fast."

　　However, the cool weather brou-ght relief for local electricity grids.

　　With air-conditioner use declining, the city's peak electricity load yesterday was only 9.99 million kilowatts, 3.63 million kw less than the highest on July 25.

　　Local generators were also less busy, creating 6.8 million kw of elec-tricity, far less than the 9.6 million kw in previous days, officials added.

　　But the key to relieve the pressure of future power consumption is to raise local power generating capacity as the peak load might reach 15 million kw next year, they said.

　　According to the city government, from 2004 to 2007, seven new gene-rators will be put into operation, two of which, with a generating capacity of 900,000 kw each, will be linked to the local power grid next year.