Oh, the Weather Outside is Frightful

People do not visit Shanghai for the weather. Although we do expect April and October to be quite comfortable, weather in Shanghai is otherwise rather crummy. The smog keeps the sun away, dust and particles of debris in the air make most breezes less than palatable, and frequent fog crop the skylines at a cloudy ceiling. Summer is humid, and winter is wet.

The temperature this winter has certainly not dropped below 25 degrees. On the cold days, it hovers around freezing. On the warm days we're in the 50s. The variation in weather is not nearly as dramatic as in America's Mid-West, where temps in the month of January can vacillate between 5 and 50 degrees Fahrenheit.

I suppose I've just learned how to handle a cold, dry winter in the Midwest. Wear a warm coat and warm up your car before you go anywhere. If you'll play in the snow, wear thick jeans and waterproof gloves.

I am still learning how to handle the damp winters of Shanghai. Without a car, most days require at least a 20 minute walk. The damp cold does not feel as bad upon first blast, but quickly seeps into every un-layered surface filling your toes and your neck and your knees with a chill that does not quickly go away. On top of this, the damp frequently turns into rain. Or this week, slush and then snow.

Snow I can handle. But I seem to be one of few in this city. We've heard that the 2 inches of snow that fell over the last few days is the most snow this city has seen in over 20 years. On Sunday, the snow combined with rain. On Monday, sleet landed on the already slick streets and later turned into a very wet and heavy snow. I have yet to see any salt or sand on the ground to add traction, although our management company has placed reed mats on the driveways and bridges. These are surprisingly durable and not at all slippery. I've only seen one person shoveling snow, and he shoveled it from his building's front landing onto the sidewalk in front of the building, often throwing snow directly on top of people walking down the sidewalk.

But it seems that for the most part, people just stayed inside. Through the rain, the sleet and the snow, the sidewalks remained empty. Some markets stayed open, but most roadside food stalls packed up and went home. Friends canceled plans because they would not brave the roads. Still with no car and car seats, I was among them, as I was unwilling to carry my girls without car seats when none of the drivers had experience driving on snow.

Its amusing to compare this to America. In cities where it only snows every 20 years, everything grinds to a halt for an inch of snow. Cities like Atlanta cancel school and warm up their few salt trucks for a busy day. Only in cities where snow happens frequently does life go on as normal. But Shanghai, little stops progress. People with little experience driving cars at all, were zooming down slick streets at full speed. No one considered canceling school. And when I woke up this morning to a warmer, brighter day I saw at least 20 snowmen on our morning walk.