Shanghai has a typical North Asian subtropical
monsoon climate, mild and moist, with four distinct
seasons and plenty of sunshine and rain. Spring and
autumn are relatively shorter than summer and winter.
In 2001 the annual average temperature was 17.7C,
there were 276 frost-free days, and annual precipitation
was 1,594.3 mm.
The Shanghai area is criss-crossed by rivers and
streams. The surface area of the water bodies in the city
is 697 km2
, 11 per cent of the total area. The main rivers
are the Yangtze, the Huangpu and the Suzhou.
Shanghai sits on the flat silt plain of the Yangtze Delta,
with a small number of hills, the average altitude being
4 metres above sea level