Cold front to disperse lingering fog, smog

BEIJING - A fresh cold front will hit northern China starting Wednesday, and it is expected to disperse the fog that has shrouded the country in recent days, meteorological authorities said.

The cold front will bring strong winds to Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region and drag down temperatures by as much as 10 degrees Celsius. Regions in northeast China are expected to see flurries over the coming 24 hours, according to the National Meteorological Center (NMC).

As the cold spell moves south, the fog will begin to lift starting Wednesday night. However, the country's central and eastern regions will still be blanketed by haze during the daytime.

The NMC maintained a blue alert for fog earlier this morning. Blue is the lowest level in the country's four-tier color-coded weather alert system.

Fog will lower visibility to less than 1,000 meters in Beijing and Tianjin municipalities and the provinces of Hebei, Shanxi, Shandong, Henan and Jiangsu, reducing visibility to 200 meters in some areas, the weather forecaster said.

Continuous foggy weather has deteriorated air quality, and many cities, including Beijing, have laid out measures to fight the persistent haze.