Moderate air pollution blows in from north

The city suffered moderate air pollution on Thursday due to high PM2.5 concentrations, the local ecology and environment bureau said.

Up to now, there have been only seven such days in the city this year.

PM2.5 concentrations reached 147 micrograms per cubic meter at 2pm and 4pm, the bureau said. A reading between 115 and 150 indicates moderate pollution.

The bureau said there would be light air pollution on Friday and Sunday and moderate air pollution on Saturday.

The bureau attributed the worsening air quality to cold air flowing into the city with pollutants from northern China. Many northern areas, such as Hebei Province and Beijing, as well as central China’s Henan Province and east China’s Shandong Province, will suffer heavy air pollution over the next two days.

It suggested children, the elderly and people with heart or breathing problems refrain from strenuous outdoor activities.

A cold front, which will affect the city on Sunday with a breezes of up to 49 kilometers per hour, may relieve the situation, it said.

Maximum temperatures will fall from 13 degrees Celsius on Sunday to 8 degrees on Monday and 9 degrees on Tuesday while there will be lows of around 4 to 5 degrees, the local weather bureau said. 

Slight rain is forecast over the next five days.