Beijing Faces Rare Typhoon-Like Winds and Sandstorms Amid Record Weather Alerts:

On Saturday, Beijing along with other parts of Northern China witnessed unprecedented travel disruption due to hailstorms, snowfalls and even thunderstorms triggered by typhoon-strength winds. The winds, originating from Mongolia, were linked to a cold vortex which caused mild temperatures to sharply plummet by 22°F.

Heightened Warning Levels Due to Wind Speeds

According to China’s state-run Xinhua News Agency, wind gusts reached an unprecedented 90 mph and are predicted to continue throughout the weekend. The gales caused unexpected snow in Northern China along with hail showers in Southern regions.

Along with the Northern parts, Southern regions of China are also densely populated. The city of Beijing is home to over 22 million people and is expected to record loaced its wind alert from extreme weather warning to its second highest wind alert within a decade. Given the the extreme wind conditions recorded, it is very likely to break the long-standing record for April weather from 1951.

Changing Social Norms

Over social media platforms, especially Weibo, netizens seemed extremely concerned regarding the safety of delivery workers during these events. One user suggested refraining from placing online orders just to extremelly protect couriers.

The sudden changes in weather in Beijing territory also led to the postponement of the high-profile marathon which is aimed at showcasing robtoics innovations and features humanoid robots alongside human runners.

Travel Impacted Considerably Due to Sandstorms

Sandstorms in combination with strong winds impacted a broad region that goes from Inner Mongolia all the way to the Yangtze River basin. The storms also impeded roadway travel in eight different provinces. Expecting to be pummeled by the sandstorm during the scheduled time window of Saturday afternoon to Sunday morning, Shanghai is next in line to be impacted.

Expert Analysis

Though the spring winds bringing sand from Mongolia is quite ordinary, the recent phenomena does highlight the worry experts possess regarding faster climate change. The condition also marks the increase of concern regarding the region’s aggravation to extreme shifting weather conditions.