Beijing, Tianjin hit by worst dust weather this spring

BEIJING, March 18 (Xinhua) -- Northern parts of China, including Beijing and Tianjin, were hit on Tuesday by the second and worst dust storms this spring, the State Forestry Administration (SFA) said.

Owing to a cold current from Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, dust swept Beijing and lingered in the northern and western suburbs in the daytime. Some people wore masks or scarves outdoors.

According to the China Meteorological Administration (CMA), the dust covered a large area in the northern part of the country, including middle and western Inner Mongolia, northern parts of Shannxi and Shanxi provinces, Hebei province and western area of northeast China.

Strong sandstorms hit parts of Inner Mongolia, with a visibility of less than 200 meters.

Satellite photos and video showed that the dusty weather covered 830,000 square meters in eight provinces and affected 85 million people in north and northeast China.