Beijing is facing significant disruption as strong winds, fueled by a cold vortex from Mongolia, have led to the cancellation of hundreds of flights and the closure of public parks. The city issued its second-highest gale alert on Saturday, a first in a decade, warning its 22 million residents to avoid non-essential travel as winds threaten to break April records dating back to 1951.
Both of Beijing’s two international airports, Capital and Daxing, had canceled 693 flights by Saturday afternoon, with predictions of more severe weather, especially in the north and along the coast. Parts of the country are seeing their strongest winds in more than 75 years, up to 148 km/h (92 mph). The severe weather has also caused late snowfalls in Inner Mongolia and hail in southern China.
To address the conditions, the Beijing Universal Studios theme park has closed through at least Sunday, while tourist attractions such as the Forbidden City, Summer Palace, and Temple of Heaven have shut their doors to tourists. Several outdoor activities, such as football matches, have also been canceled.
A half-marathon that was planned for Sunday and was to see humanoid robots race against humans as a way of celebrating China’s technological advancements has been canceled because of safety issues.
Social media is full of debates on the heavy weather, with a focus on delivery workers struggling through the rain. “In weather like this, we can simply not order delivery – it’s too difficult for them,” wrote one Weibo user.
Also, sandstorms blowing in from Inner Mongolia towards the Yangtze River Basin have taken their toll on travel by road for eight provinces, according to reports by state TV broadcaster CCTV and Xinhua. Sandstorms are also forecast to impact Shanghai from Saturday afternoon through Sunday morning.
The high winds and sandstorms originate from China’s dry northern deserts, where the Taklamakan and Gobi deserts are bounded by forests, mountains, and grasslands. China has been active for decades in measures to counteract the effects of sandstorms, especially in Beijing, a city prone to the storms that lower visibility significantly and create undue hardship for residents.
