Strong wind over the past two days that caused sandstorms in parts of northern China was likely to slow down today and lay low for a few days, meteorologists say.

An expert with the central meteorological observatory said the strong wind would likely come to an end last night.

"There will be no strong wind in the north in the days to come," he said.

The sky over Xi'an, capital of northwest China's Shaanxi Province, turned dusty early yesterday morning.

Many cars parked along the streets in the city were covered by a layer of dust, while few people went to Xincheng Square to do their morning exercise.

The sandstorm did not last long. A resident, Gu Jianlong, said he did not see any signs of a sandstorm when he traveled in the morning from his home in the north of the city to where he works in the south.

"There was only a strong wind and low temperature," he said.

On Tuesday afternoon, winds of force 7 on a scale of 1-12 swept across Beijing and brought sand and dust into the air.

Meteorologists said the wind weakened throughout the day yesterday and ended at night.

Also on Tuesday, Xining, northwest China's Qinghai Province, was hit by sandstorms so hard that some residents had to wear a veil.

An expert with the sandstorm research office under the China Environment Monitoring Station said people, especially the aged and children, should reduce their outdoor activities to prevent respiratory diseases.

Strong sandstorms hit northern China last Tuesday and Wednesday, affecting 11 provinces, municipalities and autonomous regions, according to the station.

The air in six big cities, including Beijing, was seriously polluted. The station's sandstorm monitoring system has predicted a few more sandstorms this year but most of them should be of low intensity.

(China Daily March 18, 2004)