Buildings are engulfed in smog in Beijing, Dec 8, 2016. [Photo/IC]

BEIJING -- China's meteorological authorities on Sunday issued a yellow alert for a new bout of smog that is expected to hang heavy in large areas of the country.

Parts of Beijing, Tianjin, Hebei, Henan, Shandong, Shanxi, Shaanxi, Hunan and Jiangxi will be covered by smog from Sunday to Monday, with some regions seeing heavy pollution, the National Meteorological Center said in an online statement.

A cold front is expected to help disperse the smog on Monday night.

China has a four-tier warning system for severe weather, with red being the most serious, followed by orange, yellow and blue.

Despite government efforts to fight pollution, frequent outbreaks of smog have become increasingly common in the winter season in north China, where cold weather conditions and increasing burning of the dirty coal for heating combined to exacerbate the situation.

In a five-year plan on environmental improvements released on Dec 5, the State Council ordered strict control of the consumption of coal, a major source of pollution in China, for cleaner air.

Beijing, Tianjin, Hebei, Shandong, Pearl River Delta and Yangtze River Delta regions, and the 10 cities with the worst air quality should realize negative growth in coal consumption, according to the plan.

Xinhua