It’s that time of year again: cities like Guangdong are emptied after a mass exodus of migrant workers return home by planes, trains, and automobiles in time for Spring Festival on February 19. This year’s travel has been complicated by a thick blanket of smog or, as occasionally reported in the media, “fog”, which has limited visibility to such an extent that a large number of transportation delays have been reported.

Police reports and weather bulletins are advising motorists to be careful while driving on the already congested streets, which will be made worse by the reduced visibility.

Seven railway lines have reported delays on 43 trains as a result of the smog, including:

• Hengyang-Liuzhou High-Speed Railway: 7 trains
• Nanning-Guangzhou High-speed Railway: 3 trains
• Liuzhou-Nanning Railway: 2 trains
• Xianggui Line: 13 trains
• Nankun Line: 8 trains
• Qiangui Line: 6 trains
• Lizhen Line: 4 trains

With Spring Festival only a week away, even more people are expected begin their respective journeys home. Since February 4, about 1,835,800 people have left Shenzhen.

The smog conditions are expected to remain in Guangzhou until February 14.