Santa may be lost in China’s smog: netizens  

全國多地陷“霾伏” 網友戲稱圣誕老人迷路(圖)

This photo shows Beijing is enveloped in smog on Tuesday. (Photo: The Beijing News)

(ECNS) -- This year's Christmas Eve in most cities of East and North China had no snow, only shades of cruddy gray smog and haze, the Beijing News said.

Popular jokes online say Santa Claus couldn't find the chimneys amid the haze and people should not expect gifts, as Santa is definitely lost in the smog.

The air quality index for 16 cities exceeded 300 on Tuesday, reaching the most severely polluted level. Of the 10 smoggiest cities on Tuesday, seven were in North China's Hebei province.

Beijing is no exception. Smog shrouded the city in the morning, followed by hazy sunshine in the afternoon.

The official account of Beijing's Meteorological Bureau on Sina Weibo joked, "Smog, as you spend Christmas in Beijing, does your family know?"

A cold front arriving on Wednesday afternoon was expected to banish the smog out of the city.