A dust storm enveloped a swathe of northern China yesterday dragging down air quality and visibility and prompting warnings for children and old people to stay indoors.

At least 48 flights were cancelled, including six international routes in Asia and Russia, according to the Beijing Capital Airport's website.

Spring is China's dust-storm season, when winds whip across the Gobi Desert picking up fine sand and dust particles and dumping them along a belt of heavily populated land further south.

The official People's Daily said the worst of the storm would be concentrated on a remote area along the Mongolian border, but that Beijing and locations as far away as the remote northeast of China would be affected for at least 24 hours.

Official data from the Beijing government showed average readings of small breathable particles known as PM 2.5, a major component of China's air quality index, had risen to 630 micrograms per cubic metre in parts of the city by yesterday morning, though it dropped slightly later in the day.

The World Health Organization recommends concentrations of just 10 micrograms.

The city government said the storm would affect the capital until this afternoon when air quality would improve as a high pressure system moved in.

State television said old people and children should stay inside to avoid the worst effects.

The dust storm underlines the environmental problems China faces, added to concern about choking smog from coal powered power plants and factories that also periodically covers much of north China.</s>A dust storm is choking a large swathe of northern China including the capital, Beijing, in yet another air quality crisis to affect the country.

Official air quality readings have soared well above the recommended World Health Organization (WHO) limit.

Authorities are advising residents to avoid outdoor activity and for children and elderly people to remain indoors.

The dust is blowing in from neighbouring Mongolia and China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region.
• Beijing: The city where you can't escape smog

Beijing's environmental agency said that as of 11:00 local time (03:00 GMT), the PM2.5 reading - which measures pollution in the form of small breathable particles - was 500 micrograms per cubic metre.

The WHO says the maximum safe level should be 25 micrograms per cubic metre.

Authorities said Beijing would be affected until Thursday evening and visibility would be noticeably low throughout the day. Dozens of flights have been delayed or cancelled.

State media quoted city officials as saying that the dust storm began moving towards Beijing in the late afternoon on Wednesday, and enveloped the city overnight.

The dust storm has also affected, to varying degrees, a vast swathe of northern China stretching from the far west province of Xinjiang to eastern Heilongjiang, with Inner Mongolia experiencing particularly bad conditions.

Chinese people have, as usual, not hesitated to take to social media to vent their frustration.

"Sandstorm is hitting Beijing. I feel closer to lung cancer," said one commenter on microblogging network Sina Weibo.

Others made comparisons to the capital's infamous smog problem.

"I've got used to smog, time to try something new. If I have to choose one to live in, between sandstorm and smog, I prefer the former," said another Weibo commenter.

China has seen particularly intense air pollution in recent years, especially in winter as many of its northern cities still largely rely on burning coal for heating.

But it is also increasingly affected by dust storms, as its cities expand towards nearby deserts which in turn have been spreading due to climate change.

Authorities have been attempting to halt this progress by planting more trees, besides other measures to cut pollution such as reforming the coal industry and shutting factories.

Beijing issued its first red alert, the highest level in air pollution alerts, in 2015, and has done so a few more times since.</s>BEIJING
• A major dust storm engulfed northern China and Beijing yesterday, prompting the authorities to cancel dozens of flights and urge children and the elderly to stay indoors.

Buildings were shrouded by the greyish haze in the capital, while residents who ventured out covered their mouths and noses with masks and bandanas.

At least 48 flights were cancelled, including six international routes in Asia and Russia, according to the Beijing Capital Airport's website.

The storms occur regularly in spring, when winds from China's north-west blow loose, dry soil and sand from the Gobi Desert into the city, coating urban areas with a layer of yellow grime.

Visibility in Beijing was as low as 1km yesterday morning, according to state media.

The official People's Daily said the worst of the storm will be concentrated on a remote area along the Mongolian border, but that Beijing and locations as far away as the remote north-east of China will be affected for at least 24 hours.

Levels of large particulate matter, known as PM10, hovered at around 900 micrograms per cubic m in the late morning, according to air quality monitoring website aqicn.org, or nearly 20 times the World Health Organisation's (WHO) recommended daily maximum exposure of 50 mcg per cubic m.

The PM10 level went down to about 700 mcg per cubic m yesterday afternoon.

Official data from the Beijing government showed average readings of small breathable particles known as PM2.5, a major component of China's air quality index, rose to more than 620 mcg per cubic m in parts of the city yesterday morning, though these dropped slightly later in the day. WHO's recommended daily maximum exposure to PM2.5 is 25 mcg per cubic m.

The city government said air quality would improve later today as a high-pressure system moved in. State television said old people and children should stay inside to avoid the worst effects.

The dusty pollution also enveloped vast regions of northern China, including Xinjiang, Inner Mongolia, Gansu, Ningxia, Shaanxi, Hebei, Jilin and Heilongjiang, according to the China Meteorological Administration.

The dust storm underlines the environmental problems China faces, and adds to concerns over choking smog from coal-powered power plants and factories that also periodically covers much of the north.

The government has spent billions of dollars on projects to rein in the spread of deserts, planting trees on empty land and trying to protect what plant cover remains in marginal areas.</s>related media assets (image or videos) available. Click to see the gallery.

2 related media assets (image or videos) available. Click to see the gallery.

A dust storm enveloped a swathe of northern China on Thursday dragging down air quality and visibility and prompting warnings for children and old people to stay indoors.

BEIJING: A dust storm enveloped a swathe of northern China on Thursday dragging down air quality and visibility and prompting warnings for children and old people to stay indoors.

Spring is China's dust-storm season, when winds whip across the Gobi Desert picking up fine sand and dust particles and dumping them along a belt of heavily populated land further south.

The official People's Daily said the worst of the storm would be concentrated on a remote area along the Mongolian border, but that Beijing and locations as far away as the remote northeast of China would be affected for at least 24 hours.

Official data from the Beijing government showed average readings of small breathable particles known as PM 2.5, a major component of China's air quality index, had risen to 630 micrograms per cubic metre in parts of the city by Thursday morning, though it dropped slightly later in the day.

The World Health Organization recommends concentrations of just 10 micrograms.

The city government said the storm would affect the capital until Friday afternoon when air quality would improve as a high pressure system moved in.

State television said old people and children should stay inside to avoid the worst effects.

The dust storm underlines the environmental problems China faces, added to concern about choking smog from coal powered power plants and factories that also periodically covers much of north China.

The government has spent billions of dollars on projects to rein in the spread of deserts, planting trees and trying to protect what plant cover remains in marginal areas.</s>BEIJING (Reuters) - A dust storm enveloped a swathe of northern China on Thursday (May 4) dragging down air quality and visibility and prompting warnings for children and old people to stay indoors.

Spring is northern China's dust storm season, when winds whip across the vast Gobi Desert picking up fine sand and dust particles and dumping them along a belt of heavily populated land further south.

The official People's Daily said the worst of the storm would be concentrated on a remote area along the Mongolian border, but that Beijing and locations as far away as the remote north-east of China would be affected for at least 24 hours.

Official data from the Beijing government showed average readings of small breathable particles known as PM 2.5, a major component of China's air quality index, had risen to 630 micrograms per cubic metre in parts of the city by Thursday morning.

The World Health Organisation recommends concentrations of just 10 micrograms.

State television said old people and children should stay indoors to avoid the worst effects.

The dust storm underlines the environmental challenge China faces, added to existing concerns about choking smog from coal powered power plants and factories that also periodically covers much of northern China.

The government has spent billions of dollars on projects to rein in the spread of deserts, planting trees and trying to protect what plant cover remains in marginal areas.</s>BEIJING: A major dust storm engulfed northern China and Beijing on Thursday, prompting authorities to cancel dozens of flights and urge children and the elderly to stay indoors. Buildings were shrouded by the greyish haze in the capital while residents who ventured out covered their mouths and noses with masks and bandanas. At least 48 flights were cancelled, including six international routes in Asia and Russia, according to the Beijing Capital Airport’s website. The storms regularly occur in spring, when winds from China’s northwest blow loose, dry soil and sand into the city from the Gobi desert, coating urban areas with a layer of yellow grime.</s>People wearing masks cycle near Tiananmen Square as a dust storm hits Beijing, China, May 4, 2017. — Reuters picBEIJING, May 4 — A major dust storm engulfed northern China and Beijing today, prompting authorities to cancel dozens of flights and urge children and the elderly to stay indoors.

Buildings were shrouded by the greyish haze in the capital while residents who ventured out covered their mouths and noses with masks and bandanas.

At least 48 flights were cancelled, including six international routes in Asia and Russia, according to the Beijing Capital Airport’s website.

The storms regularly occur in spring, when winds from China’s northwest blow loose, dry soil and sand into the city from the Gobi desert, coating urban areas with a layer of yellow grime.

Visibility in Beijing was as low as one kilometre (0.6 miles) in the morning, according to state media.

Levels of large particulate matter, known as PM 10, hovered around 900 in the late morning, according to air quality monitoring website aqicn.org, or nearly 20 times the World Health Organisation’s recommended daily maximum exposure.

The high levels pose a threat to human health, and the city urged children and the elderly to stay indoors.

The storm will cover large portions of the country’s northwest through tomorrow, according to state broadcaster CCTV.

Beijing has attempted to combat the phenomenon with greenbelts around the city, but increased desertification in the country’s northwest have frustrated the efforts. — AFP</s>A half-century ago, such storms happened every seven or eight years in China; now they are an annual occurrence.

HONG KONG — Dust storms enveloped parts of northern China for a second day on Friday, reducing visibility in cities like Beijing and threatening the health of millions of people.

Such storms have become an increasingly common phenomenon for the region, as China’s deserts expand by gobbling up roughly 1,300 square miles a year. A half-century ago, such storms happened every seven or eight years; now they are an annual occurrence.

The storms typically happen in the spring, as strong winds send soil and sand from the Gobi Desert over northern China and the Korean Peninsula.

This week’s dust storms led to the cancellation of scores of flights and caused pollution in northern China to soar. Beijing’s air-quality index hit a dangerous level of 623 on Thursday; the U.S. government rates readings above 200 as “very unhealthy” and 301 to 500 as “hazardous.”

Experts tie the problem to the rapid urbanization of northern China, deforestation and climate change. The government has spent billions of dollars to plant forests to stop the creeping desertification, but some experts have questioned whether it has been effective enough in doing so.

The state news media in China said children and the elderly should stay indoors during the storms. On Thursday and Friday, the storms were at their worst in the morning, with cities like Beijing clearing later in the day.

Sand and dust storms take place when hot air over the desert destabilizes the lower atmosphere, whipping up strong winds that send huge amounts of sand hundreds or thousands of miles. The storms have been linked to respiratory illnesses and to lethal epidemics because of the spread of potentially harmful bacteria, viruses and fungal spores.

The dust storms typically hit northern China after the region is afflicted by high wintertime smog, which is caused by coal-burning power plants, factories and vehicle emissions.
A severe dust storm impacts North China, causing flight cancellations at Beijing Capital International Airport.