Chinese residents under 50kg warned to not go out to avoid being ‘blown away’

(MENAFN) China has issued a warning for residents in the northern regions, particularly those weighing under 50kg, advising them to stay indoors to avoid being "blown away" by powerful winds. The country’s weather agency has raised five warnings for this weekend, covering wind, rain, snow, and thunderstorms, with winds reaching level 13 on a 17-point scale. Level 11 winds can cause significant damage, while level 12 winds bring “extreme destruction.”

Beijing issued an orange-level wind alert for the first time in a decade, the second-highest level in China’s four-tier warning system. The storm, caused by a cold vortex moving south from Mongolia, brought winds of up to 150 kph, affecting Beijing, Tianjin, and parts of Hebei. Authorities warned that the winds were strong enough to uproot trees with trunks up to 30cm in diameter.

To minimize the damage, city parks were closed, and older trees were reinforced or trimmed. Despite these efforts, nearly 300 trees were knocked over, damaging several vehicles, though no injuries were reported. Beijing’s 22 million residents were advised to avoid non-essential travel.

Locals expressed concern, with one saying the streets were unusually empty, though the storm wasn’t as severe as expected. However, it still impacted daily life. The storm also caused major transportation disruptions, with over 400 flight cancellations at Beijing Capital International Airport and several rail services suspended. Supermarkets remained open but experienced rapid stock depletion.

In Hebei’s Shijiazhuang and Laiyuan County, fallen trees and debris led to road closures, while sandstorms prompted nighttime shutdowns. Further west, Gansu and Ningxia reported sandstorms, reducing visibility to as low as 50 meters in some areas.

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