BEIJING, March 13 (Xinhua) -- Smog will linger in Beijing and nearby regions from Tuesday night to Wednesday, China's national observatory forecast Tuesday.

Moderate to heavy smog will be seen in central and southern parts of Beijing, Tianjin, Hebei and nearby areas, with severe smog in parts of Hebei and Tianjin, the National Meteorological Center (NMC) said.

In Beijing, authorities issued an orange alert, the second highest level, for air pollution from Monday to Wednesday, advising children and the elderly to stay indoors.

From Tuesday night to Wednesday morning, heavy fog will blanket parts of Beijing, Tianjin, Hebei, Liaoning, Henan, Sichuan and Shandong. Visibility could be reduced to below 500 meters in some areas.

The smog and fog will disperse gradually from Thursday morning due to rainfall and the arrival of cold air, according to the NMC.