Fog, pollution continues, cooler weather coming

Weather forecasters have predicted that skies will continue to be overcast, with mist enveloping the city in the coming days.

Visibility will continue to drop, while the murky haze since Wednesday has contributed to the capital's poor air quality, because there is no strong wind to blow the pollutants away.

Beijing Meteorological Bureau (BMB) forecasted Beijing will not see blue skies until a cold front arrives Sunday, bringing fresh breezes, and the first cool snap of the year.

The highest temperature was below 20 C Wednesday and the lowest temperature was around 12 C. Visibility dropped to less then 2 kilometers, said BMB.

Although the air quality in Beijing Wednesday was better than last week, it was still polluted across the city.

The Air Pollution Index (API) in Beijing reached above 100 Wednesday. According to the Ministry of Environmental Protection's guidelines, an API reading of below 50 indicates "excellent" air quality, while 50 to 100 shows "healthy" air and above 100 means the air is polluted.

"The temperature will be stable this week, with the highest temperature around 20 C. Humidity will rise, but it won't rain," said Zhang Mingying, a BMB meteorologist.

He reminded residents to take precautions and reduce their outdoor activities due to the low air quality.

"Due to the low visibility, some tourism spots will be closed for safety reasons, so residents should check the weather and information before their departure," he noted.