Cold spell expected to clear Beijing smog

The Beijing Meteorological Bureau forecast that gales brought by a cold spell would end the persistent haze and fog in the Chinese capital on Saturday night.

The Saturday forecast, issued on the bureau's official microblog, said the cold air is expected to arrive in Beijing at around 5 pm and the wind will gain strength during the night and significantly improve visibility.

At around 11 am, the bureau lifted an "orange" alert on fog, saying that visibility in most parts of the city is more than 1 km, but warned that moderate or heavy smog would linger in the afternoon.

The cold spell will also help dissipate the haze and fog that has shrouded neighboring Tianjin City and Hebei Province for days, according to the forecast.

Heavy air pollution is a thorny problem for the government ahead of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Economic Leaders' Meeting slated for November.