China is being hit by very strong winds

Photo:Depositphotos

Strong winds, driven by a cold front from neighboring Mongolia have already downed hundreds of trees in Beijing damaging parked cars. Beijing's two international airports canceled a total of 693 flights on Saturday afternoon. The flights were canceled because of a high risk of stormy weather, especially in the north of the country and along the coast.

Parts of China have seen their strongest winds in more than 75 years, with gusts reaching 145 kilometers per hour. The strong winds soon brought snowfall to eastern Mongolia and hail to southern China.

In the capital, Universal Studios and a number of historical sites including the Forbidden City in Beijing, the Summer Palace and the Temple of Heaven were closed until Sunday. Sports matches and other outdoor events were also suspended including a half-marathon race featuring humanoid robots competing with humans in an effort to showcase the country's technological progress.

Sandstorms are also raging from Inner Mongolia to the Yangtze River region, paralyzing road traffic in eight other provinces. The sandstorms were originally expected to hit Shanghai.

Strong winds and sandstorms occur in China's arid north where the Gobi and Taklamakan deserts are surrounded by grasslands mountains and forests. China has struggled for decades to mitigate the impact of sandstorms especially in Beijing which is located on the arid edge of the region. Sandstorms reduce visibility to virtually zero and the ubiquitous sand causes discomfort to the eyes, nose and ears.

Source:Aljazeera