Sandstorm engulfs northern China

A woman and a child walk during a sandstorm in Beijing on March 15, 2021. [Photo by Wang Jing/chinadaily.com.cn]

- The sandstorm is the strongest and the most sweeping one in nearly a decade.

- 12 provincial-level regions affected by sandy and dusty weather.

- Hundreds of flights canceled in Beijing due to the sandstorm.

Beijing, together with many regions in northern China, experienced a sandstorm on Monday.

The sandstorm is the strongest and the most sweeping one in nearly a decade, according to the National Meteorological Center.

Starting from Monday to 8 am Tuesday, affected by cold fronts and heavy winds, floating sand and dust are expected to sweep parts of Xinjiang, Inner Mongolia, Heilongjiang, Jilin, Liaoning, Gansu, Ningxia, Shaanxi, Shanxi, Hebei, Beijing and Tianjin, forecast the center.

Some regions in Inner Mongolia, Ningxia, Shaanxi and Shanxi will be hit by strong sandstorms, the center said.

The center has advised the public to take precautions against the heavy winds and sandstorms, and suggested that drivers prepare for poor visibility.

Remote sensing images of dust in northern China show the dust from southern Mongolia gradually traveled south with the airflow.