Beijing enveloped in hazardous sandstorm, second time in 2 weeks
28 March, 2021
The Chinese capital Beijing woke on Sunday (Mar 28) morning shrouded in thick dust carrying extremely high degrees of hazardous particles, as a second sandstorm in two weeks hit the city because of winds from drought-hit Mongolia and northwestern China.
Visibility in the city was reduced, with the tops of some skyscrapers obscured by the sandstorm, and pedestrians were forced to cover their eyes seeing that gusts of dust swept through the streets.
Beijing's official quality of air index reached a maximum degree of 500 on Sunday morning, with floating particles referred to as PM10 surpassing 2,000 micrograms per cubic metre in a few districts.
Readings of smaller PM2.5 particles had been above 300 micrograms per cubic metre, far greater than China's standard of 35 micrograms.
PM2.5 particles are specially harmful because they are extremely tiny and will enter the bloodstream, while PM10 is a larger particle that can enter the lungs.
The China Meteorological Administration issued a yellow alert on Friday, warning a sandstorm was spreading from Mongolia into northern Chinese provinces incorporating Inner Mongolia, Shanxi, Liaoning and Hebei, which surrounds Beijing.
The meteorological office said the recent sandstorms going to Beijing comes from Mongolia, where relatively warmer temperature this spring and reduced rain led to larger regions of bare earth, creating favourable conditions for sandstorms.
Beijing might deal with more sandstorms in April as a result of unfavourable weather this season, the meteorological office said.
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