BEIJING - China's weather observatory issued a yellow alert for smog that will cover the country's northern regions from Sunday evening to Monday evening.

Beijing, Tianjin, parts of the neighboring provinces of Hebei, Henan and Shandong, as well as parts of eastern Jiangsu Province will be shrouded in moderate smog, and the southern part of Beijing will be choked by heavy smog, the National Meteorological Center (NMC) said.

The smog will be dispersed by a cold front next Thursday, the NMC said.

China has a four-tier color-coded weather warning system, with red representing the most severe weather, followed by orange, yellow and blue.