The weather may not show it - but autumn is here.

For the purists who go by the Chinese lunar calender, autumn arrived yesterday at 12:39 a.m., fueling expectations of slightly cooler temperatures.

No way, says the Shanghai Meteorological Bureau.

Old timers believe that when autumn arrives early, it is followed by a cool spell. But city meteorologists pooh-poohed that argument, shrugging it off as one "with no scientific base."

"In northern China, heat wave may suddenly disappear a day after the onset of the lunar autumn. But in Shanghai, temperatures are likely to stay warm until September," said Yao Zuqing, the chief meteorologist at the Bureau.

She said that autumn really arrives following five straight days of relatively cool temperatures, with a daily average staying below 22 degrees Celsius.

But there could be some short-time relief.

Today's high is expected to be 32 degrees Celsius - two degrees higher than yesterday. The low may hit 24 degrees. It could climb further over the weekend.

"Instead of cooler days, locals may have to worry about a possible 'Autumn Tiger,' meaning a heat wave," Yao said.

The bureau's forecast said that there could be 15 more days of the heat wave with the possibility of 39-degrees temperature.

( eastday.com August 9, 2002)