"Hard to Keep Eyes Open"... Beijing Hit by Worst Yellow Dust in 10 Years

Yellow Dust, Sandstorm Originating from Mongolia Impact

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Bong-ju] On the 15th, Beijing, the capital of China, was completely dyed yellow due to an extreme yellow dust storm.

This yellow dust was caused by a sandstorm originating from Mongolia, which is reported to be the largest in scale in the past 10 years.

The yellow dust was so severe that the sky took on an orange hue. The strong yellow dust winds made it difficult to keep eyes open outdoors.

The China Central Meteorological Observatory issued a yellow dust warning, stating that a massive yellow dust storm appeared in 12 northern provinces and municipalities including Beijing.

Due to the yellow dust and strong winds, over 400 flights were canceled in Beijing on that day.

The Beijing Meteorological Observatory reported that visibility was below 1 km in most areas due to yellow dust, and the concentration of particulate matter (PM10) in six districts of the city temporarily rose to 8108 μg/m³.

In some areas, particulate matter temporarily exceeded 10,000 μg/m³, and fine particulate matter (PM2.5) surpassed 400 μg/m³. According to Korean standards, particulate matter above 150 μg/m³ and fine particulate matter above 76 μg/m³ are classified as 'very bad.'

According to the China Environmental Monitoring Center, the Air Quality Index (AQI) in Beijing reached the maximum value of 500 from 8 a.m. that day.

The worst pollution level, 'severe pollution,' corresponds to an AQI of 301?500, and even if air quality worsens, values above 500 are not displayed.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

The Central Meteorological Observatory stated that this yellow dust is the strongest and most widespread in the past 10 years, explaining that the sandstorm that occurred in southern Mongolia the previous night traveled southward with the airflow, causing the yellow dust.

In Mongolia, the deadly sandstorm caused dozens of casualties.

China belatedly began cracking down on illegal emissions of air pollutants from steel and cement factories in Tangshan, Hebei Province, near Beijing.

Pollutants emitted from factories in Tangshan, only 200 km away from Beijing, affect Beijing as well.

The Korea Meteorological Administration reported that very strong winds are occurring between a high-pressure system developed near Lake Baikal southeast of Siberia and a low-pressure system developed in northeastern China, causing the yellow dust to spread widely.

The yellow dust is likely to enter Korea on the morning or early dawn of the 16th, carried by north winds.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.