Scorching?heat hit Shanghai again yesterday with the mercury soaring to almost 40 degrees Celsius, the weather bureau said.

The temperature peaked at 39.6 degrees, as hot as last Tuesday's high for the year.

Yesterday was the 18th day this year when the mercury exceeded 35 degrees, the Shanghai Meteorological Bureau said, and the heat should continue throughout the weekend.

Today will be sunny to cloudy with showers in the afternoon, with the temperature again reaching between 39 and 40 degrees.

It will be a little cooler from Monday with some rain but the heat will return after that, said the bureau's Li Jinyu.

Shanghai's power consumption set a new record yesterday at 26,212 megawatts during the morning rush hour. Reducing supplies to some industries in Baoshan, Yangpu and Songjiang districts guaranteed household consumption, Shanghai Electric Power Co Ltd, the city's power supplier, said.

The city's total power capacity also increased to a record 27,400 megawatts, of which 9,550 megawatts were from Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Anhui and Fujian provinces through the national grid, the company said.

The company said power supplies would probably face more pressure today as the heat continues.

At Shanghai Zoo, keepers are busy trying to keep the animals cool.

The city's heat was too much even for animals from hot climates, the Aldabra tortoise from the Seychelles for example.

Keepers are making sure the tortoise doesn't suffer from dehydration by adding salts to its drinking water. They have also installed a water spray in its lair.