Millions of Beijing residents told to stay at home as strong winds batter northern China
Advertisement
The winds, caused by a cold vortex sweeping in from Mongolia, prompted the meteorological bureau to issue an orange-level warning – the second highest in a four-tier system – for strong winds on Friday afternoon.
The winds, which battered much of northern China, including Tianjin and Hebei province, were also predicted to bring sandstorms with dust reaching as far as Shanghai.
Most weather stations in the city reported winds of Force 7 or above from Friday afternoon, with some reaching Force 14 – with some forecasters predicting the strongest April winds in the capital since 1951.
The highest recorded wind speed, in the Gaoshan Rose Garden in Mentogou district, was 162km/h.
Advertisement
The winds caused widespread disruption to travel, with more than 400 flights being cancelled at Beijing Capital Airport, according to Beijing News.
They also forced high-speed rail services to major cities including Shanghai, Guangzhou and Tianjin to be suspended.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
HKFP
5 days ago
- HKFP
Chinese mountaineer dies on Pakistan's K2, world's second-highest peak
A Chinese mountaineer died while descending the world's second-highest peak, with Pakistani rescuers waiting on Thursday for weather conditions to improve to recover her body. Guan Jing was descending from the summit of K2 on Tuesday night when she was hit by falling rocks, Deputy Commissioner for Shigar district Arif Ahmad told AFP. 'An army aviation team is ready for the recovery of the body and is waiting for better weather conditions,' he said. According to the Alpine Club of Pakistan, which monitors local climbing expeditions, Guan is the fourth casualty of the country's summer climbing season. Guan was among 30 climbers who reached the summit of K2 on Monday before beginning her fatal descent. 'The incident occurred on the Abruzzi Spur route between Camp I and Advanced Base Camp — a section notorious for frequent rockfalls,' the Alpine Club said. At 8,611 metres (28,251 feet), K2 on the Pakistan-China border sits 238 metres shy of world-topping Himalayan giant Everest but is considered more technically challenging. Home to five of the world's 14 mountains above 8,000 metres, Pakistan typically welcomes an influx of summer climbers from early June until late August. This season, four deaths have been reported, including two on K2, one on Nanga Parbat and one on the lesser-known Laila Peak in the Karakoram range where German Olympic biathlete Laura Dahlmeier died after being hit by falling rocks last month.
HKFP
5 days ago
- HKFP
Tropical Storm Podul makes landfall in China after raking Taiwan as typhoon
Typhoon Podul weakened to a severe tropical storm when it roared ashore in southeastern China early Thursday, state media said, after carving a path across Taiwan, shutting down businesses, grounding flights and knocking out power to thousands of homes. Podul made its second landfall in Fujian province's Zhangpu County, Chinese state news agency Xinhua said, citing the provincial meteorological observatory, reporting maximum sustained winds of 108 kilometres (67 miles) per hour. On Wednesday, wind gusts of up to 178 kilometres per hour were recorded shortly before the typhoon slammed into Taiwan's Taitung County, the country's Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. One person is missing after he went fishing and was swept away, and 112 have been injured, disaster officials said. More than 8,000 people were evacuated from their homes. As Podul swept across storm-battered central and southern areas of Taiwan, it toppled dozens of trees and triggered flooding. Streets in the port city of Kaohsiung were littered with fallen branches. Embed from Getty Images 'Kaohsiung, Tainan and Chiayi will become major rainfall hotspots tonight, with increasing rain also expected in Penghu and Kinmen,' CWA Administrator Lu Kuo-chen told a briefing attended by President Lai Ching-te. Flights scrapped, schools shut All domestic flights across the island of 23 million people were cancelled on Wednesday, along with dozens of international journeys. More than 63,000 households were still without power. High-speed rail services on the west coast were reduced, while train services in the southeast were cancelled. Many ferry services were also suspended, and businesses and schools across the south closed. More than 31,500 soldiers were ready to assist in rescue and relief efforts, disaster officials said. The CWA said mountain areas in Kaohsiung and Tainan could be hit with a cumulative 400-600 millimetres (16-24 inches) of rain from Tuesday to Thursday. In mainland China, some schools in Guangdong paused classes while train and ferry services have been temporarily halted, China state broadcaster CCTV said. Embed from Getty Images Parts of other provinces such as Hunan and Jiangxi in central China will also see heavy to torrential rain, CCTV added. Intense weather Podul comes after weeks of intense weather in central and southern Taiwan, which is accustomed to frequent tropical storms from July to October. Typhoon Danas, which hit Taiwan in early July, killed two people and injured hundreds as the storm dumped more than 500 mm of rain across the south over a weekend. That was followed by torrential rain from July 28 to August 4 that left at least five people dead, with some areas recording more than Taiwan's total rainfall of 2.1 metres in all of 2024. Natural disasters are common across China, particularly in the summer, when some regions experience heavy rain while others bake in searing heat. The death toll from flash floods and mudslides in northwest China last week has risen to 13, state media said on Saturday. Heavy rain in Beijing in the north also killed 44 people last month, with the capital's rural suburbs hardest hit and another eight people killed in a landslide in nearby Hebei province. Scientists have shown that human-driven climate change is causing more intense weather patterns that can make destructive floods more likely. Global warming, driven largely by the burning of fossil fuels, is not just about rising temperatures, but the knock-on effect of all the extra heat in the atmosphere and seas. Warmer air can hold more water vapour, and warmer oceans mean greater evaporation, resulting in more intense downpours and storms.
HKFP
10-08-2025
- HKFP
Death toll from floods, mudslides in northwest China rises to 13
The death toll from flash floods and mudslides in northwest China has risen to 13, state media said on Saturday, after the bodies of three people were found. Torrents of mud and water began hitting mountainous areas of Gansu province on Thursday, with the death toll listed as 10 on Friday as rescuers searched for at least 33 missing people. Natural disasters are common across China, particularly in the summer, when some regions experience heavy rain while others bake in searing heat. Chinese President Xi Jinping called for the 'utmost effort' in rescuing missing people, state broadcaster CCTV reported on Friday. The death toll stood at 13, with the number of missing now listed as 30, state news agency Xinhua said on Saturday. Hundreds of people had been rescued and thousands more evacuated, Xinhua added. It quoted a rescue official describing the situation as 'complex' due to the mud and rough roads, with telephone lines and electricity also cut. State media on Friday put the number of people trapped in the mountainous Xinglong area at 4,000, with heavy rain pushing garbage into roads. Beijing's top economic planner has allocated 100 million yuan (US$14 million) towards disaster relief in Gansu. Authorities also announced a yellow alert on Saturday for torrential rains and activated a flood response plan in the provinces of Jiangsu, Anhui, Hubei and Chongqing, CCTV said. China's south has also experienced torrential downpours this week, with tens of thousands of people evacuated across Guangdong. Heavy rain in Beijing in the north also killed 44 people last month, with the capital's rural suburbs hardest hit and another eight people killed in a landslide in nearby Hebei province. Scientists warn the intensity and frequency of extreme weather events will increase as the planet continues to heat up because of fossil fuel emissions.
