Sandstorms turning skies yellow across north China
Print Edition
SANDSTORMS swept over much of north China yesterday, including Beijing, turning the skies yellow and obscuring visibility.
The capital’s meteorological center issued a blue alert for sandstorms yesterday morning, forecasting winds that would carry sand and dust across the capital.
Many pedestrians in the downtown area could be seen wearing protective masks as they made their way to work.
Most monitoring stations in the city showed PM10 readings of more than 1,000 micrograms per cubic meter and PM2.5 readings of over 400 micrograms per cubic meter as of noon yesterday, according to data from the city’s Environmental Monitoring Center.
Visibility plummeted to as low as just a kilometer in many parts of the capital and was expected to fall further.
The Beijing Times said that more than 40 flights at Beijing Capital Airport were delayed due to the sandstorms, with another 15 canceled.
Neighboring Tianjin was also hit by dust and sand, which darkened the sky and disrupted traffic flow in the city.
“The sky turned gray and the smell of dust and sand had crept into my room this morning. My child complained about feeling uncomfortable after playing outside,” said a Tianjin resident surnamed Liu.
Traffic authorities advised drivers to reduce their speed and to use their fog lights.
According to Lu Huanzhen of the Tianjin meteorological station, the sandstorm is expected to die down in the city by tonight. Sandstorms were also reported in north China’s Hebei Province but are expected to clear from today thanks to wind which is is expected to arrive tomorrow.
The provinces of Gansu, Heilongjiang, Jilin, Shaanxi and Shanxi, and the Inner Mongolia, Ningxia and Xinjiang autonomous regions will see sandstorms today, the National Meteorological Center said.
Zhu Jiang, head of the Institute of Atmospheric Physics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, said the sandstorms had traveled from Inner Mongolia.
Ejin Banner of Alxa League saw the first sandstorm on Wednesday, with visibility reduced to less than 100 meters.
Strong winds reduced temperatures in the region by about 4 degrees Celsius.
Local weather stations warned residents to keep their doors and windows closed, to buttress sheds and billboards, avoid riding bicycles and to remain alert for outbreaks of forest fire.
China has a four-tier color-coded system for severe weather, with red being the most serious, followed by orange, yellow and blue.
The national weather observatory continued its blue alert for sandstorms yesterday, forecasting windy and dusty weather in north China over the next three days.
Meanwhile, a strong cold front is set to sweep north China including areas of Inner Mongolia and northeast regions, bringing a temperature drop of up to 12 degrees Celsius, the national center said.
Since Wednesday, the country’s northern areas have witnessed their most severe sandstorms this year, affecting more than 10 provincial-level regions and covering an area of 1.63 million square kilometers, according to national center data.
The sandstorms have resulted in serious air pollution in many areas.
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