The latest round of sandstorms buffeting North China had covered 2.29 million square kilometers and affected 409 million people as of Tuesday morning, according to meteorological authorities.
Heavy sandstorms that engulfed Beijing, Tianjin and other northern regions such as Inner Mongolia, Heilongjiang and Xinjiang originated from the southern part of Mongolia, as well as central and western parts of China's Inner Mongolia, affecting 15 provincial-level regions and 409 million people as of Tuesday morning, the National Forestry and Grassland Administration (NFGA) said in a bulletin sent to the Global Times.
The National Meteorological Center (NMC) issued a blue alert for sandstorms on Tuesday, saying that most areas above the Yangtze River will be suffering from floating dust from Tuesday to Wednesday, and it called on the public to reduce outside activities.
The affected areas stretch as far south as Shanghai, said the center. Shanghai is expected to witness floating dust from Tuesday night to Wednesday at noon, and the city will suffer short periods of heavy pollution during this time period, according to the city's weather department.
According to the forecast, after this dust weather process is over, there will be another sand and dust weather process from the 13th to the 14th, and Tianjin will be disturbed by wind and sand again.