1 week Ago By The Independent
Rare typhoon-like gales swept northern China on Saturday, wreaking havoc on daily lives , disrupting travel and forcing the closure of historic sites while bringing late snowfall and hailstone showers in some areas. Beijing 's two massive international airports, Beijing Capital and Daxing, cancelled nearly 800 flights as strong winds made windows shake and felled trees onto footpaths and cars. Flight and train services were also cancelled in several other parts.
Some regions of the country witnessed their most powerful winds in nearly 75 years, registering speeds of up to 148kmph. The winds, driven by a cold vortex from neighbouring Mongolia, sent temperatures plunging by more than 12C. Beijing issued its second-highest gale alert this weekend for the first time in a decade, warning 22 million residents to avoid non-essential travel as meteorologists cautioned that wind speeds could exceed April records going back to 1951.
The winds forced the postponement of a half-marathon set for Sunday featuring humanoid robots competing with people in a bid to showcase China 's technological advances. Sandstorms raging over a vast stretch of territory from Inner Mongolia to the Yangtze river region crippled road travel in at least eight provinces, news agency Xinhua and state broadcaster CCTV reported. Sandstorms were expected to impact Shanghai from Saturday afternoon through to Sunday morning.
China 's national meteorological center issued heavy wind alerts for central areas of the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, the northern parts of Hebei province, and the western and northern mountainous areas of Beijing. Authorities in Beijing forecast the strongest winds between 10am and 10pm local time on Saturday. The Universal Studios theme park in Beijing was closed at least through Sunday and historic sites in the capital city such as Forbidden City, Summer Palace and Temple of Heaven were shut as well.
Football matches and other outdoor events were suspended. The winds dominated social media chatter in the country, with many people expressing concern for food delivery workers having to brave the difficult conditions. “In weather like this, we can choose not to order delivery,” one Weibo user wrote, “it's too hard for them.
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