China’s Ministry of Environmental Protection released information that, according to the weather satellite remote sensing indicator, as of January 30, the smog area had increased to 1.43 million square kilometers, a growth of 130,000 square kilometer from the previous day. Since January 30, the smog has been getting worse. Shanghai, Jiangsu Province, and neighboring regions have become “highly polluted” from previously being “slightly polluted." Beijing, Tianjin, and neighboring regions remain “highly polluted.” On January 28, China’s National Meteorological Center (NMC) implemented a three-tier color-coded weather warning system to alert the public to the severity of the smog. The system uses yellow to indicate moderately smoggy weather, orange for severe conditions, and red for extremely severe levels of smog. The authorities continue to issue a yellow warning for smog.
Source: Xinhua, January 31, 2013
http://news.xinhuanet.com/yuqing/2013-01/31/c_124304751_2.htm