Transport in the north China port city of Tianjin has slowed to a crawl or ground to a halt Friday as a heavy fog that enveloped the bustling city since Thursday intensified on Friday morning.

Visibility in the urban area is only approximately 30 meters and, in some areas, down to 10 meters.

Owing to the heavy fog, buses had to move very slowly at a snail's pace and all flights that were scheduled to depart from Tianjin Airport Friday morning were canceled. All expressways have been closed.

The local meteorological station acknowledged that high humidity, calm weather and drastic changes in temperature between day and night had caused the heavy fog, which was expected to disperse Friday afternoon.

More dense fog is forecast for the municipality in the next two days.
 
(Xinhua News Agency October 31, 2003)