Strong winds wreak havoc in multiple parts of China, triggering severe sandstorms that have engulfed nearly half of the country, with Inner Mongolia, Gansu, and other regions experiencing skies darkened by dust.
On the morning of April 12th at 6 o’clock, the China Meteorological Administration simultaneously issued warnings for strong winds, blizzards, sandstorms, and severe convective weather. Monitoring data shows that from the 12th to the 13th, a strong cold air mass continues to affect the central and eastern regions of China, bringing sustained high winds, dust, and cooling temperatures.
Areas including Beijing in North China and the Huai River region have entered the period of strongest winds. Nearly 500 national meteorological observation stations across China have recorded record-breaking high winds, particularly in North China and the Huai River region where wind speeds have reached or exceeded Force 13 in some localized areas.
On that day, the Henan Provincial Meteorological Bureau announced that from 6 am on the 11th to 6 am on the 12th, strong winds swept through most parts of Henan Province, with maximum wind speeds reaching Force 15, breaking or surpassing historical extreme values for April in 40 national stations.
According to data from the China Meteorological Administration’s official website at 10 am on the 12th, among 2418 national-level automatic stations, the top three locations with the highest wind speeds were Tianshi in Jilin at 24.7 m/s, Jiuxianshan in Fujian at 23.4 m/s, and Huangshan in Anhui at 20.0 m/s.
Hong Kong Now News reported that as of noon on the 12th, the extremely strong winds had led to the cancellation of over 3200 flights on the Chinese mainland.
The powerful winds have caused sandstorms, as per the weather alerts issued by the China Meteorological Administration, with regions like southern Xinjiang, western Inner Mongolia, and western Gansu experiencing sandstorms and severe dust storms.
Parts of Inner Mongolia and the northeastern regions of China are facing Force 5 to 7 winds, with gusts reaching Force 8 to 10, and locally in western and central Inner Mongolia, as well as northern Hebei, gusts can reach Force 12 to 13.
On the 12th, the Ningxia Meteorological Administration issued an orange alert for sandstorms, with strong dust storms hitting Shizuishan, Yinchuan, Wuzhong, and Zhongwei in Ningxia.
Numerous on-site videos show a scene of yellowish skies and swirling dust in Yinchuan, with strong winds blowing dust clouds everywhere, severely reducing visibility. Plants from the desert were seen rolling on the ground and colliding with vehicles driving on the road.
Since the 11th, a howling wind accompanied by dust storms has rapidly spread in Inner Mongolia and other areas, with vast yellow sands covering the sky. Local residents commented that they had to “wear masks to sleep at night” and even with windows closed, they were awakened by dust in the middle of the night.
The numerical forecast by the China Meteorological Administration indicates that from daytime on the 12th to the 13th, there will be resurfacing sandstorms in western Inner Mongolia and northern Shaanxi, moving southeastward to affect the Sichuan Basin, Hubei, Hunan, Anhui, and crossing the Yangtze River. Regions including Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Shanghai, Jiangxi, western Fujian, and parts of Guangdong and northern Guangxi could potentially encounter dusty weather.
Chief analyst Xin Xin from China Weather Network pointed out that sandstorms have been observed in many southern regions, with increased PM10 concentrations in Yunnan, Guizhou, Guangxi, while air quality indices in many places in Jiangnan have soared. In Nanchang, the PM10 concentration reached an unprecedented 1240 micrograms per cubic meter at noon.