Beijing Meteorological Center on Thursday morning issued a blue alert for sand dust, which is expected to sweep across China's capital city in the afternoon. Sandstorms are expected to affect much of northern China on Thursday.
According to the municipality's environment protection authorities, sand dust has impacted the area since 10:00 a.m. with the PM 10 concentration exceeding 500 micrograms per cubic meter at northwest Beijing's Badaling, signaling severe pollution in the area.
Visibility in Beijing plummeted as sand dust hit the capital city. /Beijing Meteorological Center
The sandstorm is expected to hit most of northern China, including Inner Mongolia, Jilin, Lioaning, Heilongjiang, Shanxi, Hebei, Beijing and Tianjin, according to the National Meteorological Center.
It's no more than one week since the heaviest sandstorm in two years struck Beijing.
Girl taking a selfie with the Forbidden City in the background during sandstorm on May 4, 2017. /VCG Photo
PM 10 concentration at one point exceeded 2,000 micrograms per cubic meter in Beijing last Friday, bringing severe air pollution to residents.
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