BEIJING (Reuters) – Beijing was shrouded in hazy weather on Wednesday, with the possibility of worsening conditions in other parts of north China, according to forecasters. However, they expect that the smog will dissipate as cold air moves in from the northwest.
Experts attribute the persistent haze in Beijing to poor atmospheric diffusion caused by unusually weak cold air currents from the north.
The China Meteorological Administration reported that visibility in most parts of Beijing dropped to less than 500 metres (546 yards).
“I didn’t expect the smog to be so bad these days. The masks I’ve brought are almost used up,” said Gao, a 24-year-old Beijing tourist.
In addition, heavy winter fog in some places has worsened the murky conditions, with visibility dropping to less than 50 metres in certain parts of Hebei province and Tianjin city.
The environment ministry, following a meeting of its agencies, stated that moderate to heavy air pollution is expected in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei area and surrounding cities until Thursday, with short periods of severe conditions.
While the northern region is expected to improve in the first half of this month, the southern areas may continue to face pollution, according to the ministry.
“The overall environment has been improving in recent years, but the smog has returned in recent days. We’re not sure what’s causing it,” said Liu, an 82-year-old Beijing resident.
Forecasters predict that unusually mild winter temperatures, which have been up to 10 degrees Celsius above normal in some places, will persist until Thursday, possibly breaking records in big cities like Jinan, Zhengzhou, and Shijiazhuang.
However, from Thursday night, cold air is expected to lower temperatures further, potentially setting new lows.
(Reporting by Liz Lee, Ethan Wang and Xiaoyu Yin; editing by Robert Birsel)
