Extreme strong winds have been wreaking havoc in many parts of China, leading to the cancellation of over 3200 flights. As of April 12, a total of more than 900 flights were canceled at the two major airports in Beijing.
On April 12, according to China Eastern Airlines, due to the rare severe wind weather, a total of 273 flights were canceled from April 11 to 12 by the airline. Among them, 60 flights were canceled on the 12th, affecting cities including Beijing, Guangzhou, Shanghai, Xiamen, and Jieyang.
The China Meteorological Administration forecasted that from the 12th to the 13th, strong cold air would continue to affect the central and eastern regions of China. Strong winds, sandstorms, and temperature drops persist, with areas including Beijing, North China, and the Huang-Huai region entering the period of strongest winds.
Monitoring results showed that from 8:00 on the 11th to 6:00 on the 12th, parts of central Gansu, western Inner Mongolia, northern Ningxia, central and southeastern Shanxi, western Beijing, southern Hebei, and central and western Henan experienced wind speeds reaching 11 to 13 on the Beaufort scale. Some areas like Wuwei in Gansu, Yinchuan in Ningxia, Changzhi in Shanxi, Mentougou in Beijing, and Anyang in Henan even reached wind speeds of 14 to 15.
Under the assault of the strong winds, sandstorms occurred in some areas, such as Hotan in Xinjiang, Alashan and Ordos in Inner Mongolia, Wuwei and Baiyin in Gansu, Yuncheng in Shanxi, Hengshui and Xingtai in Hebei, as well as Yan’an, Yulin, and Baoji in Shaanxi.
According to data from Fei Chang Zhun, due to severe weather conditions like extreme strong winds, as of noon on the 12th, over 3200 domestic flights in China had been canceled. This marks the highest number of flight cancellations so far this year.
In the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region of North China, over 1200 flights were canceled at major airports; Beijing Capital Airport and Beijing Daxing Airport canceled over 900 flights, with more than 40% of flights affected. Tianjin Binhai Airport and Shijiazhuang Zhengding Airport saw about 40% of flights canceled, while Hohhot Airport and Jinan Yaoqiang Airport also had a small percentage of flights canceled.
It was reported that winds of Level 10 can uproot trees and blow down houses. When the wind reaches Level 12, it can cause “great destruction” to objects on the ground, and people weighing less than 110 pounds are at risk of being blown away.
Chinese meteorological expert Ma Xuekuan mentioned to local media that winds of Level 12 to 13 are prone to occur at mountain passes and between two tall buildings in cities, where the “funnel effect” is likely to take place.
The Central Meteorological Department forecasts that the strong wind weather caused by this round of cold air in North China and eastern Huang-Huai will see wind speeds at some observation stations nearly reaching historical extremes since 1951. This extreme wind situation is expected to subside by the 14th.