On the morning of March 11th, the China Meteorological Administration issued a blue sandstorm alert. Within the next 24 hours starting from 8 am that day, 12 northern provinces including Xinjiang, Inner Mongolia, Gansu, and Ningxia will experience sandstorms or dust. As a result, Beijing, already suffering from PM2.5 pollution, will also face strong sandstorm weather.
According to the ecological environment and meteorological departments of Beijing, the concentration of PM2.5 in the city has been gradually increasing since the 8th, reaching a moderate pollution level at 8 pm on the 10th. By 8 am on the 11th, the concentration was at 147 micrograms per cubic meter, indicating moderate pollution levels, with some areas reaching severe pollution. It is expected that the air quality will improve as the day progresses in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region on the evening of the 11th.
However, due to the influence of upstream sand transport, there will be a strong sandstorm in Beijing from the evening of the 11th to the morning of the 12th. According to the forecast released by the Beijing Ecological Environment Monitoring Center, this incoming sandstorm is extensive and severe, lasting a long time in Beijing, leading to higher levels of PM10 concentration. Visibility in Beijing is expected to gradually improve by the evening of the 12th, with air quality expected to improve overnight.
In response to this, Beijing netizens have been voicing their complaints. “Just now, the rain was full of mud spots, and the car is covered in yellow dust.” “I just washed my car yesterday, what a patience test.” “Every time I wash my car, it rains or snows and sandstorms blow in.” “I haven’t been out for the past two days.”
Additionally, netizens from Shaanxi have stated, “It all started yesterday, even indoors, there’s a strong smell of dust in the air.” Netizens from Shanxi also commented, “Every spring is the same, with yellow sand everywhere. In the last two years, we even had sandstorms in the summer.”
According to previous reports from the China Weather Network, due to the impact of the first sandstorm weather of the year, on March 10th, many northern regions experienced sandstorms or dust, with Xinjiang and Inner Mongolia facing localized sandstorms or severe sandstorms, causing air quality to reach hazardous levels.
On the morning of March 11th, the China Meteorological Administration issued a blue sandstorm warning. From 8 pm on the 11th to 8 pm on the 12th, southern Xinjiang, central and southeastern Inner Mongolia, eastern Gansu, northern and central Shaanxi, Shanxi, Hebei, Beijing, Tianjin, central and northern Henan, Shandong, western central Liaoning, and western Jilin are expected to experience sandstorms or dust, with some areas in central Inner Mongolia facing sandstorms.