Shanghai is witnessing a historic warm winter unseen in about 80 years, as the temperature jumped to 21.6 degrees Celsius Monday.

The warm weather seen this January is very rare in the meteorological records of Shanghai. The last warm winter with such high temperatures was back in 1940, when the highest temperature reached 22.4 degrees Celsius, according to Wu Rui with the Shanghai Meteorological Service.

The warm and moist air flow shrouding the Yangtze River Delta was squeezed by the cold air that has brought heavy snow to the north part of the country, making the temperature in Shanghai rise to the peak, said Wu.

However, according to weather forecasts, the temperature will begin to drop Tuesday afternoon. It is predicted that a cold wave will engulf the city Wednesday with the temperature dropping to five to eight degrees Celsius. Enditem