Story By: John Feng, Sub-Editor: Joseph Golder, Agency: Asia Wire Report
AsiaWire
These were the biblical scenes across northern China where gale-force winds kicked up a massive sandstorm which engulfed entire cities for hours.
Winds measuring 8 on the Beaufort scale were recorded in Inner Mongolia in North China and Jilin Province in the north-east on 3rd April.
AsiaWire 
AsiaWire 
AsiaWire 
AsiaWire
Footage from the city of Baicheng in Jilin showed stunned residents filming as the wave of sand and dust moved towards urban centres like a tsunami.
The phenomenon known locally as a ‘black storm’ forced locals indoors but caught many off guard as the local weather officials rushed to issue blue warnings for sandstorms lasting 24 hours.
AsiaWire
Meteorological centres in Inner Mongolia put out more serious yellow warnings for dust storms at around 11:30am local time, urging residents to remain indoors as visibility was reduced to less than 1,000 metres (3,280 feet).
At the height of the sandstorm, some areas in Inner Mongolia recorded visibility under 500 metres (1,640 feet), reports said.
The sandstorm travelled eastward as seasonal westerly trade winds pushed it across grassy plains.
Similar sandstorms tend to affect air quality in China’s capital of Beijing when severe.
AsiaWire
Jilin and Inner Mongolia meteorological officials have warned that gale-force winds are likely to cause and spread forest fires.
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