A man rides a bicycle on the street amid heavy fog as a vehicle drives in front of him in Handan city, North China's Hebei province on Oct 29, 2011. The visibility was reduced to less than 100 meters in some areas of the city. [Photo/Xinhua]

 

People walk on the street amid heavy fog in Handan city, North China's Hebei province on Oct 29, 2011.  [Photo/Xinhua]

BEIJING - Heavy fog will shroud China's northern provinces from Friday evening to Saturday morning, while cold fronts will bring rain and snow to northwestern region, China's top meteorological authority said.

National Meteorological Center (NMC) issued a blue alert Friday evening, warning that foggy weather will sweep most of the nation's northern provinces, as well as parts of central and northeast China.

Fog and haze will decrease visibility to within 1,000 meters in some parts of the provinces of Hebei, Shandong, Henan, Hubei, Sichuan, Heilongjiang and Liaoning, with visibility of less than 500 meters in some areas, according to the NMC.

The NMC said that two cold fronts will bring windy weather and a temperature drop of 6 to 8 degrees Celsius to the northern part of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. Some parts of Xinjiang will also see rainfall and heavy snow, it said.

The NMC warned the public about possible traffic disruptions brought by the fog, snow or rainfall in those regions.