After back-to-back days of relatively pristine skies and clear horizons, Guangzhou found itself struck abruptly by a cloudy haze of serious smog today.
Monitoring systems across the city have clocked PM2.5 readings of well over 200 micrograms per square meter, causing multiple international schools to cancel outdoor activities and keep kids indoors.
The smog, which led Guangzhou’s real-time air quality monitoring system to put out it’s first ‘severe pollution’ warning of the year, according to Yue Shijie, has greatly reduced visibility in the city, rendering familiar landmarks and skyline fixtures all but invisible even at close distances.
The American International School of Guangzhou issued a statement explaining that air quality monitoring equipment at two of their campuses had detected PM2.5 concentrations of close to 300 and that “as such, outdoor lunch, outdoor recess and all outdoor activities have been moved indoors until further notice.”
Utahloy International School of Guangzhou, in accordance with a guideline that keeps students indoors when AQI readings breach the 200 mark, also canceled outdoor activities for the day at both its campuses, asking pupils to remain indoors for their lunch breaks, a source familiar with the school's policy tells That’s.
The high pollution in the city today comes paired with a temporary spike in temperatures; a familiar combo that results from the classic ‘smog blanket’ effect which helps to lock in warmth as well as wholesome carcinogenic goodness.
Pollution spikes ahead of Spring Festival can be exacerbated by factories piling on overtime as they rush to meet orders before workers clock out to head home for the CNY holiday.
‘Severe pollution’ warnings were also issued for neighboring urban centers, including Foshan and Jiangmen, though Shenzhen escaped the worst of the haze.
Light, intermittent rain over the next few days is expected to wash the skies of the charming fog, as well as contribute to cooler temperatures over the weekend.
[Images via Yue Shijie]
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