Dust gusts die down as sun hits capital
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Beijing has been given a reprieve from sandstorms after the worst dusty weather of the year hit the city during the May Day holiday weekend.
The capital is expected to enjoy a sunny day on Tuesday that will later turn to minor showers, with temperatures from 13 C to 24 C, according to forecasts by the meteorological bureau on Monday.
The better weather will be welcome after the strong sandstorms on April 30 and May 1. The temperature on Monday rose to 25 C after the spell of dusty weather ended on Sunday.
There have been three sandstorms so far this year, with the one at the weekend the strongest, said Yang Guiming, top weather forecaster for the National Meteorological Center.
However, Yang noted that 2011 has received the fewest dust storms - lighter than sandstorms - of any year since 2000. Usually from January to April every year, an average of 11.5 dust storms sweep the city, but so far this year there have been only six. In general they seem to be becoming weaker year by year, he said.
Statistics from the capital's environment protection bureau show the air quality during the holiday weekend was among the worst of the year.
Beijing enjoyed only 18 "blue sky" days in April, including 14 days when levels reached as high as Grade 2 (mildly polluted), according to the bureau's website.
During a storm in April 17, it is estimated the city received an average of 20 grams of sand per square meter, 300,000 tons in total.
Due to the windy and dusty weather in Beijing, authorities have inspected 260 construction sites since April 1, with roughly 40 percent failing to meet the standard of dust dispersion.
Wang Shi was among the many people who chose to stay indoors due to the bad weather at the weekend. "I had a few outdoor plans, such as going to a picnic in Changping district, but I dropped them all due to the sandstorms," he said on Monday. "Fortunately it wasn't a work day so you can just stay at home if you want."
