Many cities in northern and central China are forecast to experience air pollution from Feb 9 to 11 in the middle of the weeklong Spring Festival holiday, when smoggy days will not be suitable for setting off firecrackers, the national meteorological authority said on Thursday.

On the Spring Festival's eve, which falls on Sunday, residents in Beijing, Hebei, Henan and Shandong provinces will first be hit by smog because of windless conditions, said Zhang Zuqiang, spokesman for the China Meteorological Administration.

Spring Festival runs from Sunday to Feb 13 and is the most important holiday for Chinese people, who get together and celebrate with fireworks.

"It's not good to set off firecrackers in the windless weather," he said.

For the past three years, Beijing has seen pollution soar on the holiday eve due to fireworks, reaching the most hazardous levels, according to the Beijing Environmental Protection Bureau.

Another spell of smog will cover a larger area, including northern, eastern and central regions, from Feb 9 to 11, Zhang said, adding that some cities in Hebei and Henan provinces will have severe smog.

However, the majority of China will see temperatures climb from Sunday to Tuesday and, with the exception of the smog-affected areas, will have good air quality, the top weather authority said.

From Feb 10 to 13, the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region and some northern regions, such as Hebei and Jilin provinces, will experience snowfall and strong winds, with temperatures dropping by four to eight degrees.

Some cities in southern regions, such as Anhui, Jiangxi and Jiangsu provinces, will experience heavy rainfall, Zhang said.

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