No respite from heavy smog until weekend

Due to the poor weather conditions, heavy smog is forecast to blanket North and Central China until Saturday, the National Meteorological Center said on Monday.

From Monday through Wednesday, heavy air pollution will continue to hit Hebei, Henan and Shandong provinces, the center said.

Starting from Tuesday, stronger cold front will sweep from north to south and disperse the air pollution.

Since Jan 20, the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei cluster, the Fenhe-Weihe Plain region and the Yangtze River Delta region have experienced heavy air pollution.

Weak cold air that created unfavorable atmospheric conditions for diffusing pollution caused the process, a report by the National Joint Research Center for Tackling Key Problems in Air Pollution Control said.

"Melted snow that generated water vapor in the air led to a high humidity in these areas, which also inhibited the dispersal of air pollution," the report said.

Emissions component analysis in the report showed this round of pollution was due primarily to diesel vehicle emissions, industrial plant gas emissions and coal burning.

Most cities in these areas have triggered air pollution warnings last week and taken measures to curb the pollution according to their governments' emergency plan for heavy pollution weather.