Warmer weather, blue skies ahead for two sessions

Beijing will be warm and dry with mostly blue skies during the annual two sessions, which will begin on Saturday, the State Meteorological Administration said.

The average temperature in the capital during the two sessions, which will last until March 20, will be 5 to 6 C, higher than the average 4.2 C of previous years, said Zhang Zuqiang, a spokesman for the administration, in a news conference on Friday.

He said the administration expected 1 to 3 millimeters of rain from March 16 to 17.

There may be occasional smog on Friday to Saturday, Tuesday to Wednesday, and March 10 and 15, but no heavy smog, according to the administration.

The first session of the 13th National People's Congress and the first session of the 13th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, collectively known as the two sessions, will open on March 5 and March 3 respectively.