China's capital hunkered down on Saturday as rare typhoon-like gales swept northern regions, forcing the closure of historic sites and disrupting travel while bringing late snowfalls and hailstone showers in some areas.
Windows shook and trees crashed onto footpaths and cars, rocked by gusts of wind driven by a cold vortex from neighboring Mongolia that sent temperatures plunging by more than 12 degrees Celsius (22 degrees Fahrenheit).
The winds, which started on Friday, are set to continue over the weekend, packing gusts of up to 150 kph (90 mph), the official Xinhua news agency said. They brought late snowfalls in Inner Mongolia and hailstones in southern China.
Beijing issued its second-highest gale alert this weekend, for the first time in a decade, warning 22 million residents to avoid non-essential travel as winds could potentially break April records dating from 1951.
The winds dominated social media chats, with many people expressing concern for food delivery workers braving the conditions.
"In weather like this, we can choose not to order delivery - it's too hard for them," one Weibo user wrote.
By 11.30 a.m. (0330 GMT), 838 flights had been cancelled at Beijing's two major airports, the Flight Master tracking app showed, while the capital's historic sights and parks were shut, with some old trees trimmed in preparation for the cold blast.
The winds forced the postponement of a half-marathon set for Sunday featuring humanoid robots competing with humans in a bid to showcase China's technological advances.
Sandstorms raging over a stretch from Inner Mongolia to the Yangtze River region crippled road travel in eight provinces, Xinhua and state broadcaster CCTV said.
Sandstorms were expected to impact Shanghai from Saturday afternoon through to Sunday morning.
Strong winds bringing sand and dust from Mongolia are routine in spring, but climate change has made weather events more extreme.
