A?strong cold snap from the north is likely to see temperatures plunge around 10 degrees Celsius today and tomorrow in the city.

The mercury touched 23 degrees Celsius in downtown yesterday followed by a brief wet spell. The overcast conditions will remain, according to the Shanghai Meteorological Bureau, with temperatures dropping to a high of 14 degrees and a low of 6 degrees.

It will hover around 4 degrees tomorrow morning.

"The minimum temperature downtown could drop to 4-5 degrees tomorrow morning and around 2 degrees in the suburbs," said Kong Chunyan, a bureau official, said. The wet conditions will last till the weekend.

"The cold spell will lead to fluctuations in the mercury, causing respiratory, cardiovascular and cerebrovascular problems," Kong said.