Thick sandstorms shroud Beijing and several other provinces in China
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The Chinese capital faces regular sandstorms during March and April because of its proximity to the massive Gobi Desert.
PHOTO: REUTERS
BEIJING – The capital and several provinces in China will be affected by thick, dense sandstorms that will severely affect visibility, the Chinese weather authorities said on Wednesday.
The Central Meteorological Observatory issued yellow warning signals from Wednesday to early Thursday morning for Shaanxi, Shanxi, Hebei, Heilongjiang, Jilin, Liaoning, Shandong, Henan, Jiangsu, Anhui and Hubei provinces.
Many areas will have low visibility, weather forecasters said, cautioning drivers about speed. The sandstorms will gradually move south and then weaken, the forecasters added.
China has a four-tier, colour-coded weather warning system, with red representing the most severe warning, followed by orange, yellow and blue.
Beijing, which was also issued a yellow sandstorm warning, has experienced sand and dust storms over the past several days, causing pollution levels to drastically increase.
Photos on social media showed people riding bicycles through the city amid swirling dust, with one showing a bike seat covered in sand.
Beijing on Wednesday recorded an air quality index of 500, pushing the pollution level to six, a level considered “very hazardous” to human health, according to the Beijing Ecological Environment Monitoring Centre.
The city faces regular sandstorms during March and April because of its proximity to the massive Gobi Desert, and also because of deforestation throughout northern China. REUTERS
