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Beijing residents woke up Wednesday morning to yet another sandstorm coating the city in a film of dust -- and a warning that more could come.

 

Influenced by strong cyclones, sandstorms swept over central and southern Mongolia, and central Inner Mongolia on Tuesday afternoon, with a northwest current bringing the dust to Beijing, according to Beijing Municipal Environmental Protection and Monitoring Center.

 

The 14th sandstorm to hit Beijing this year caused the air quality index to reach hazardous level five -- the worst rating --between midday Tuesday and midday Wednesday, said Zhao Yue, deputy head of the center.

 

The content of particulate matter in the air reached 1,392 micrograms per cubic meter at 10:00 PM Tuesday. The reading was still more than 1,000 micrograms at 7:00 AM Wednesday.

 

The current sandstorm was also the second in Beijing this month, following the first on May 1.

 

Beijing experienced 2.4 sandstorms on average in May over the last five years, said Zhang Xiaoye, deputy head of the Chinese Academy of Meteorological Sciences.

 

He warned the city could see yet more sandstorms this year.

 

Local meteorologists forecast that the sandstorm would move out of Beijing late Wednesday, followed by rain Thursday night.

 

More storms might hamper Beijing's efforts to achieve 238 blue sky days, or days with good air quality, this year, five more days than last year.

 

As of Tuesday, Beijing had recorded just 72 blue sky days this year, 13 less than the corresponding period last year.

 

(Xinhua News Agency May 18, 2006)