Floating dust hit most parts of southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region on Saturday, the third day of the Tibetan New Year, a result of high wind and a sudden temperature rise.

 

A massive dust cloud enveloped the regional capital Lhasa at 8 p.m. on Friday and floating dust and mist shrouded the city on Saturday. Many residents had to wear masks when going out, leaving trails of footprints on the dusty ground.

 

Floating dust is the mildest form of sandstorm, but it affects air quality severely, according to meteorologists.

 

The local meteorological bureau attributed the dusty weather to strong wind that had blown across Tibet since Wednesday.

 

"Most parts of Tibet became windy on Wednesday," said Purbu Cerin, the bureau's chief weatherman. "On Friday, the wind gained force to at least 13 meters per second."

 

The hardest-hit area of Xigaze Prefecture in southern Tibet reported wind of 36 meters per second, he said.

 

Perbu Cerin said Tibet had reported no rain or snow over the past week. The sudden temperature rise in the past three days had worsened the arid climactic conditions.

 

In Lhasa, the high temperature rose to 17 degrees Celsius on Thursday from minus one on Jan. 1. The lowest temperature rose from minus 13 to minus two.

 

Perbu Cerin added the wind was likely to persist, particularly in the Yarlung Zangbo River Valley, for a day or two.

 

Scientists say about 217,000 square kilometers of Tibetan land suffers desertification, about 18 percent of the region's total territory. The region is China's third most desertification-plagued region after Xinjiang and Inner Mongolia.

 

Chinese Academy of Sciences experts said the Tibet plateau was one of the major sources of the country's sandstorms.

 

(Xinhua News Agency February 10, 2008)