Sandstorms hit north China during the weekend, blanketing many
cities in floating dust.
Sandstorm intensified in the Tarim Basin of northwest China's
Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, closing the airport of Kashghar
at 6 p.m. Sunday. A flight from Urumqi to Kashghar was
cancelled.
Visibility in Kashghar was lowered to less than 2,000 meters and
traveling vehicles had to have their lights on.
In Tianjin, the number of people on streets dwindled as sand
reduced the visibility in the city to about 1,000 meters. Parking
cars were coated by yellow dust.
But the harsh weather didn't seem to put as much strain on
Tianjin's traffic. Ten highways passing through the city were
functioning well and no flight were reported cancelled or delayed
at the Binhai International Airport.
Xi'an, capital city of northwest China's Shaanxi Province, saw
the strongest sandstorm since the beginning of this year.
Temperature dropped from about 28 Celsius degree to 16.
Sandstorm also hit Gansu, Inner Mongolia, Liaoning and
Shandong.
Local meteorological bureaus predicted that the sandstorm in
Xianjiang will last till Tuesday, while that in Tianjin will abate
on Monday.
In Beijing, a warning of strong wind was issued Sunday
afternoon. A force five wind would sweep the city on Monday, and
the temperature would drop to about 5 Celsius degrees.
Eleven to 15 sandstorms are forecast in northern and
northwestern China this spring, according to a previous forecast by
the China Meteorological Administration.
Experts ask people to take precautions, such as wearing a scarf
when they go outside, and avoid outdoor activities.
(Xinhua News Agency April 2, 2007)
