Ah Man, Beijing Hit with Orange Smog Alert Over New Year's Weekend

Sorry guys. We have some not-so-good news for this New Year’s weekend... Beijing has just been slapped with an orange alert for air pollution.

The orange alert will be in place from Friday until Sunday, which also happens to be New Year’s Day. Get those masks out because heavy smog will start to roll into the capital starting around midnight tonight.

Severe pollution will impact parts of Beijing, Tianjin, Hebei and Henan. The orange alert is the second highest in China’s four-tier system. During this period certain high-polluting vehicles will be restricted from driving and many construction projects will temporarily cease. 

The air might be crap this weekend, but there are still plenty of parties and events going on over the holiday. So don’t let all that PM2.5 get you down. A cold front is expected to blow in on Sunday to offer us at least some reprieve for a couple of days. 

But don't get too excited because heavy smog is expected to smother the capital until Thursday January 5.