A new round of smog will affect Beijing and neighboring provinces from today. That's the forecast from the National Environmental Monitoring Center.

On Thursday, Beijing and Tianjin issued orange alerts, the second highest level. It advises children and the elderly to stay indoors, certain construction activities to be suspended, and heavy-duty vehicles be pulled off the road. An orange alert signals the average air quality index is forecast to exceed 200 for three consecutive days, and one of those days is forecast to be over 300. The smog is expected to be dispersed when a cold front arrives next Thursday.