Beijing (EFE).- Beijing and several other areas in northern China have suffered intense sandstorms in recent hours that have at times raised air quality indices above 1,100 points, a level considered extremely dangerous.
The National Meteorological Center issued blue and yellow level alerts – the first two of a scale of four – and warned that the dust and sand in suspension will affect more than a dozen northern provinces.
The storms originated in Mongolia and moved in a southeasterly direction late Monday, entering China through the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, according to the meteorological institution.
Beijing, wrapped in a yellowish halo, woke up this Tuesday with a concentration of PM10 particles in the air (for example, dust or ashes) greater than 1,000 micrograms per cubic meter in the center of the city, while that of particles PM2.5 (the most dangerous due to its tiny diameter) reached over 500, in both cases considered high risk levels.
The capital, where a second level alert was issued and the winds are expected to persist until this afternoon, has been affected by five sandstorms so far this year, three of them last March.
The Beijing tourism authorities requested the closure of the main attractions and outdoor leisure spaces for security reasons, reports the official Global Times newspaper.
The meteorologist Zhang Mingying, quoted by the newspaper, explained that the intensity of these events is due to the lack of rain and absence of snow cover in northern China during winter and early spring, which makes it easier for the wind drags the accumulated sand and dust into suspension.
Zhang predicted that conditions will improve from late April or early May with increased rainfall.
The Chinese Meteorological Center estimates that the number of sandstorms that occurred in 2023 in the north of the country is the highest in the last decade, although the levels of suspended particles are similar to those registered in previous years.