Hundreds of flights have been canceled and trains suspended while the gusts hit Beijing and northern China on Saturday.
At 11:30 am, local time (3:30 am GMT) Saturday, 838 flights were canceled in the two major airports in the capital, according to the Reuters news agency.
Wind gusts up to 93 MPH (150 km / h) – the strongest in the Chinese capital for more than half a century – should continue throughout the weekend, forcing the closure of attractions and historic sites.
Millions have been invited to stay inside Friday, some state media warning that people weighing less than 50 kg can be “easily blown away”.
Train services, including the airport express metro line and certain high -speed rail lines have been suspended.
The parks have also been closed, with old trees reinforced or cut in preparation – but nearly 300 trees have already fallen into the capital.
A number of vehicles have been damaged, but no injury has been reported. In Beijing, most residents followed the authorities’ advice to stay inside after the city warned 22 million residents to avoid non -essential travel.
“Everyone in Beijing was really nervous about it. Today, there are practically no people on the street. However, it was not as serious as I had imagined it,” a local resident told Reuters.
Meanwhile, a businessman from the Province of Zhejiang, near Shanghai, had his flight canceled at home.
“Due to the strong winds, all the flights scheduled for last night and today have been canceled. So I will probably be binding my flight in a few days. I’m now blocked in Beijing,” he said.
Strong winds come from a cold vortex system on Mongolia and should last throughout the weekend.
The winds bringing sand and dust of Mongolia are routine in the spring, but climate change can make storms stronger and more serious.
Beijing issued its first orange alert for strong winds in a decade, the strongest winds that should arrive on Saturday.
China measures the wind speed on a scale that goes from one to 17. A level 11 wind, according to the China Meteorological Administration, can cause “serious damage”, while a level 12 wind brings “extreme destruction”.
The winds of this weekend should go from level 11 to 13, the conditions that should relax on Sunday.
