[] [BTBBT Daily - 12/9]Wind adds to city chill

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SHANGHAI'S mercury should continue to drop throughout the weekend with the passing of a cold front while strong winds will make it feel even colder, forecasters said yesterday.

The low is expected to reach zero degree Celsius on Sunday and probably lower in the suburbs, said the Shanghai Meteorological Bureau.

Today is forecast cloudy with a low of 3 degrees and a high of 7. Tomorrow should be sunny and cloudy with a low of 1 degree and a high of 6 degrees, the bureau said.

Temperatures are expected to climb somewhat next week.

Meanwhile, windy conditions will add to the cold this weekend, said Kong Chunyan, a chief service officer of the bureau.

"Gales should get bigger in the coastal areas of the city with the cold currents," Kong said yesterday. "The wind is expected to gust at 60 kilometers per hour in urban areas and the velocity could reach 100kph above costal waters."

A 4-meter-long signboard was blown off a building yesterday morning in the Pudong New Area as gale-force winds swept through.

No one was hurt when the signboard was torn off the building of a service center for the disabled around 8:20am, but it was a close call. The center's staff said the sign hit the ground just a meter from several disabled children gathered at the gate.