Fog that persisted throughout Saturday and Sunday has forced Shandong Province to close several expressways and cancel six flights.

According to local meteorologist, the foggy weather was caused mainly by southward movement of weak cold air from the northwest amid tender breeze and great humidity. They forecast the weather will last into Tuesday at least.

Data as of 8:00 on Monday morning showed that except for Yantai,Weihai and Weifang, major cities in Shandong, including Qingdao, Rizhao, Linyi, Jining, Heze, Liaocheng, Jinan, Dezhou and Binzhou,were blanketed by heavy fog, with visibility as low as zero in some areas.

Some toll stations on the expressway surrounding the provincial capital of Jinan, the Shandong section of the Beijing-Shanghai expressway and the whole of the expressway from Jinan to Liaocheng have been closed, together with several other freeways on the territory of the province, said Shandong Expressway Group Ltd.

According to Jinan International Airport, six flights have been cancelled and 10 others delayed.

(China.org.cn, Xinhua News Agency November 22, 2005)