Beijing Encounters Sandstorm, Sky Turns Yellow
Today, on April 3rd, Beijing experienced a sandstorm with the sky turning yellow. In the afternoon, strong winds intensified, and some areas reported wind speeds reaching level 11.
Starting early this morning, scattered showers or thunderstorms appeared in Beijing from west to east, followed by strong winds. The Beijing Meteorological Observatory stated that from noon until early night, the city was under a yellow wind warning. The period from noon to evening was expected to have the strongest winds, with gusts reaching levels 8 to 9.
According to “Beijing Weather,” in the afternoon, strong winds intensified with most areas experiencing gusts of 7 to 8 levels between 13:00 and 14:00. There were 246 stations with wind speeds of 7 or above, accounting for 36.0% of the total. The highest wind speed recorded was 31.8 m/s (level 11) in the High Mountain Rose Garden in Mentougou District, and 19.9 m/s (level 8) in the Bird’s Nest Crown in Chaoyang District for the plain areas. With the strong winds, sand and dust were also present, with PM10 (inhalable particles) concentration around 200 micrograms per cubic meter, indicating a moderate to severe level of air pollution.
Beijing netizens took to social media to express their thoughts on the weather conditions. One user wrote, “What’s with the weather today? Strong winds and sand approaching Beijing.” Another said, “Leaving work and stepping outside, the wind in Beijing is so strong today.” There were comments like, “Beijing is covered in sand again… A level 8 demon wind is hitting, after the cypress trees spread pollen, now a sandstorm is starting!,” and “Good news: the wind blew away the smog! Bad news: Beijing residents are about to taste dust.” One user humorously shared, “Beijing has strong winds and sand today. The only direct impact on me, besides eating a bit of dust, is that my delivery got blown away.”
Furthermore, the China Meteorological Administration issued a blue wind warning on April 3 at 18:00, stating that from 20:00 on April 3 to 20:00 on April 4, there will be 5 to 7 level winds with gusts of 7 to 9 levels in parts of Inner Mongolia, Ningxia, northern Shanxi, Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, eastern Shandong, most parts of Liaoning, central-eastern Qinghai, northern Sichuan Plateau, and central-western Tibet. In some areas of central Inner Mongolia, there will be gusts exceeding level 10. The Bohai Sea and the eastern part of the East China Sea will experience winds of level 8 to 9, with gusts of 10 to 11 levels.