Severe sandstorm blankets Beijing

A severe sandstorm that had plagued northwestern China in the past few weeks whipped Beijing on Saturday morning, packing strong winds and tonnes of sand.


The sandstorm, that had traveled hundreds of miles, covered homes, streets, and cars in brown dust and left the sky a murky yellow in the capital city.


The city's weather bureau issued an alarm, warning a sandstorm was "on its way", and advised citizens to stay in homes as the polluted weather was bad for their health.


The air quality was rated a rare level 5, meaning hazardous with pollution reading over 301, the bureau said on its website.


Beijing has seen rare cold weather this year, with the temperatures remaining below zero at night weeks after spring season officially began.


While the north is combating cold snaps and sandstorms, a severe drought across a large swathe of southwest China is now affecting more than 50 million people, and forecasters see no signs of the disaster abating in the short term.


Desertification of the country's west and Mongolian steppes has made spring sandstorms worse in recent years, reaching as far away as South Korea and Japan and turning rain and snow yellow.