Story By: John Feng, Sub-Editor:  Joseph Golder, Agency: Asia Wire Report

Video Credit: AsiaWire

This is the moment gale-force winds send a dust storm through a busy urban centre before tearing a large metal roof off a multi-storey building.

The freak weather conditions were observed in the county of Ningwu in China’s northern province of Shanxi on 17th November.

It came as the Ningwu Meteorological Bureau announced a yellow alert for an expected cold snap brought on by strong seasonal easterly winds.

Footage taken by residents seemingly caught in the eye of the latest dust storm shows motorists at a standstill and pedestrians recording as the cloud of sand is blown through the busy streets.

The winds measuring 7 on the Beaufort scale lift the corrugated metal roof of a multi-storey building and tear it from the top floor, the video shows.

The large sheet of metal flies backwards through the air and causes sparks as it collides with a set of power cables.

According to reports, the incident caused a partial power outage, but the local electrical supply has since been restored by the municipal service provider, reports said.

No one was injured during the strong winds, which are a seasonal phenomenon lasting through spring.

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