2013 Harbin Smog
The 2013 Harbin Smog happened in the town of Harbin, located in northern China; and this smog didn't just affect Harbin. It affected the surrounding areas of Heilongjiang, Jilin and the Liaoning provinces on October 20th. The out of season weather paired with little to no wind from northeast China and the coal-powered municipal heating system in Harbin is what caused the smog to be so bad. Airports, kindergarten through middle schools were closed for three days, along with the highways in Heilongjiang. The daily particulate levels were 40 times higher than the World Health Organization recommended levels. PM2.5 particulate matter was 1,000 micrograms per cubic meter, resulting in being worse than Beijing's historic highs.
Visibility was limited, flights were grounded and 2,000 schools were closed because visibility was 160 feet. In the province of Jilin, visibility was down to 1,600 feet, which is a leg up on Harbin. On Fa Yuen Street in Harbin people could only see less sixteen feet in front of them. On October 25th the smog started to go away, and was completely gone on October 28th. The smog dispersed from the first local snow/ sleet from a Russian cold front. The whole smog incident was blamed on the lack of wind and crop waste being burned in farmers' fields, and on October 20th the start-up of a coal-powered heating system came into play. Winter temperatures can get down to forty below, resulting in a six month heating season. As a result from burning coal, the life expectancy has lowered by 5.5 years in northern China, from heart and lung diseases. There has been a 27% increase in people being hospitalized for respiratory problems.
Visibility was limited, flights were grounded and 2,000 schools were closed because visibility was 160 feet. In the province of Jilin, visibility was down to 1,600 feet, which is a leg up on Harbin. On Fa Yuen Street in Harbin people could only see less sixteen feet in front of them. On October 25th the smog started to go away, and was completely gone on October 28th. The smog dispersed from the first local snow/ sleet from a Russian cold front. The whole smog incident was blamed on the lack of wind and crop waste being burned in farmers' fields, and on October 20th the start-up of a coal-powered heating system came into play. Winter temperatures can get down to forty below, resulting in a six month heating season. As a result from burning coal, the life expectancy has lowered by 5.5 years in northern China, from heart and lung diseases. There has been a 27% increase in people being hospitalized for respiratory problems.