The Chinese capital issued its highest red fog alert for a second day on Wednesday, keeping highways closed in and around the city which is already under a smog alert after weeks of choking winter pollution. China's weather bureau warned of visibility of less than 50 meters in some areas, leading many airports to cancel flights. More than 2,000 tourists were stranded on a cruise ship for two extra days near the port of Tianjin, as smog prevented the ship from docking until Monday, the Beijing Evening News reported. Poor visibility prompted three major northern ports to suspend the loading of ships on Tuesday, maritime safety agencies said. Pollution alerts are common in northern China, especially during bitterly cold winters when energy demand, much of it met by coal, soars. Beijing's smog alert is at the second-highest orange only, raising questions from some living in the city. The Ministry of Environmental Protection said it hadn't issued a smog red alert because of discrepancies … [Read more...] about Smog-hit Beijing slapped with top ‘fog’ alert for second day
Beijing weather forecast
Beijing embraces first snow this winter
First snow fell in Beijing Wednesday night and continued into Thursday morning. It was the latest first snow for the city in 60 years. Beijing has had no precipitation for 108 consecutive days this winter. Local meteorologists said from 8:00 Wednesday to 6:00 Thursday, precipitation in Beijing averaged 1 mm. "Now there is snow at last. I love the taste of snow." "The world in pure white! It's the most beautiful landscape in winter." Beijing residents who stayed late in the night and happened to see the first flakes of snow in the city left their postings on microblogs. However, meteorologists said the first snow won't last long and it will end on Thursday noon. In midnight, the city will have a cloudy weather, and Friday will be a sunny day. "As the precipitation is small, it will have limited effect on easing drought," Song Jisong, the municipal meteorological bureau's chief weather forecaster said. Sun said that the capital city's record-long winter drought occurred in the … [Read more...] about Beijing embraces first snow this winter
Beijing embraces second snowfall within three days
Snow fell again in Beijing Saturday night, three days after the city had its first snow this winter. Snow continued falling on Sunday morning but was forecasted to stop in the daytime. From 8:00 p.m. Saturday to 8:00 a.m. Sunday, precipitation in Beijing averaged 1.7 mm to 3.1 mm in downtown areas, local meteorologists said. Zhang Qiang, head of the municipal artificial weather intervention office, said the office began cloud seeding and was continuing efforts to increase snowfall from 7:25 p.m. Saturday in the nine districts and counties of Miyun, Mentougou, Yanqing, Haidian, Pinggu, Changping, Shijingshan, Fangshan and Huairou. By 8:20 a.m. Sunday, 657 silver iodide rods had been used to increase the snowfall. More than 3,583 people and 768 vehicles have been mobilized since Saturday to clear the snow on major roads of Beijing to ensure road transportation, according to the city transportation departments. Beijing had its first snow of the winter Wednesday and Thursday after … [Read more...] about Beijing embraces second snowfall within three days
Beijing issues alert as smog smothers N China
The Chinese capital on Thursday issued a yellow alert for heavy air pollution over the next three days, with children and the elderly being advised to stay indoors. Beijing, its neighbors Tianjin and Hebei Province, as well as central and western Shandong Province can expect heavy air pollution to linger for a week, according to a joint weather forecast issued by the China Meteorological Administration and the Ministry of Environmental Protection. On Thursday morning, PM 2.5 readings in those regions exceeded 115 micrograms per cubic meter, far above the 25 micrograms level considered safe by the World Health Organization. The CMA expects the smog to last for a week as no cold front is in sight to help disperse it. Heavy smog is forecast during the next three days in Beijing, the municipality's office for severe air pollution emergency response said on Thursday, issuing a yellow alert. The yellow alert in Beijing is the first since the municipal government issued one last October. … [Read more...] about Beijing issues alert as smog smothers N China
Why Beijing’s air has turned deadly and how it can be reversed
With toxic haze forecast to return to Beijing on Saturday, many city residents are asking how a deterioration in air quality can be reversed and what city officials can do to avoid the kind of “red alert” that curtailed daily life in the nation’s capital this week. While government statements attribute the smog in large part to car pollution, the explanation isn’t satisfying some people in Beijing. “Overseas countries also have lots of cars, so why don’t they have such smog?” Dong Yucun, a 55-year-old insurance saleswoman, asked on Thursday during an interview in Beijing’s Financial Street district as a cold wind provided temporary relief from the smog. Small coal-burning furnaces scattered through northern China in addition to vehicle emissions are the main culprits feeding the heavy pollution that shrouds Beijing, said Jiang Kejun, a researcher at the Energy Research Institute under the National Development and Reform Commission. … [Read more...] about Why Beijing’s air has turned deadly and how it can be reversed