Worst Dust Storm in a Decade Hits Beijing

Fierce winds laden with desert dust buffeted Beijing on Thursday in what local reports said was the worst such storm in 10 years, delaying flights, pushing grit through windows and doors and sending people running for cover.

Meteorologists said the storm, one of several unusually heavy ones this spring, was caused by dust rolling in from the northwest combined with severe winds in the Beijing region.

By midmorning, yellowish clouds began to fill the horizon. Residents ran for shelter as gusts as strong as 44 mph scoured the streets and darkened the skies.

With buildings barely visible across city streets at times, dozens of flights were delayed at Beijing’s Capital Airport. At least 40 flights due to land there were rerouted to Tianjin Airport, about an hour away.

In the last month, five dust storms have hit Beijing as severe water shortages and sparse vegetation in the deserts and grasslands upwind from the city have left soil loose and prone to wind erosion.