Strong winds have forced authorities to urge those weighing below 50kg to stay indoors stating that they could “easily be blown away”.
The extremely strong winds sweeping through the Northern part of Beijing China saw normal operations paralyzed with several flight cancellations and train suspensions witnessed.
Several parks and historic sites were also closed, scheduled sporting events suspended, with older trees trimmed or reinforced. Despite the efforts, close to 300 trees were blown away, some vehicles damaged, though no injuries were recorded.
Local residents following the warning noted having very few individuals walking on streets.
The strong winds, reaching up to 93 mp (150 kph), are the strongest in over 50 years and are being caused by a cold vortex system over Mongolia. The winds are expected to last through the weekend. Spring dust storms are common in this region, but experts say climate change is making them more intense and dangerous.
One local resident told Reuters, “Everyone in Beijing was really nervous about it. Today there are hardly any people out on the streets. However, it wasn’t as severe as I had imagined.”
According to the Economic Times, a businessman from Zhejiang province said his flight home was cancelled due to the adverse winds.
“Because of the severe winds, all flights scheduled for last night and today were cancelled. So I will probably rebook my flight in a couple of days.” The business man stated
This is the first time in ten years for China to issue an orange alert to its citizens. China officials continue to urge citizens to stay indoors and avoid unnecessary travel.
The Beijing Meteorological Service termed the winds as “extremely strong, prolonged, widespread, and potentially very damaging.”
