Double jeopardy of fog and heavy smog across northern, central China
Heavy fog and air pollution were forecast for Beijing and central China on Thursday and Friday, the National Meteorological Centre warned on Wednesday as air quality plunged in the capital.
Heavy fog and air pollution were forecast for Beijing and central China on Thursday and Friday, the National Meteorological Centre warned on Wednesday as air quality plunged in the capital.
The centre issued both a yellow smog alert - the lowest level on the three-tier system - and a fog warning for Beijing, neighbouring Tianjin and Hebei province.
Watch: Heavy fog and air pollution hover over Beijing
The warnings came as official air quality index readings in both Beijing and Tianjin surpassed 200 on Wednesday morning to reach "heavily polluted levels". Under those conditions children and the elderly are advised to stay indoors.
Pollution - albeit less severe - was also expected to blanket large parts of Shanxi in the west, the central provinces of Hubei and Hunan , and several northeastern regions.
The centre added that a wide area would also be covered by fog. Hubei and Hunan provinces would have "dense fog" that would limit visibility to between 200 metres and 500 metres.
Beijing, Sichuan, Kunming and Hunan would also be cloaked in fog, cutting visibility to between 500 metres and 1km.
Forecasters said conditions in these regions would begin to improve from Friday morning as a cold front from the north cleared the air.
The centre also reported sporadic snow in the capital, the first of the year. More snow was expected across northern China, including Beijing, over the next two days.
