Strong gale hits Beijing, bringing dust and sand

BEIJING -- Affected by cold air, Beijing on Monday saw this year's strongest autumn gale, which blew up dust and sand in some parts of the city, according to the municipal meteorological bureau.

A strong gale with a maximum wind speed of 88 kph swept across part of eight districts in the city starting around 2 am Monday, the bureau said.

The gale made the air turbid and raised the concentration of PM10 up to 400 micrograms per cubic meter of air in some places. The visibility improved by noon.

The maximum daytime temperature on Monday will be 15 C and the temperature is expected to fall to 2 C at night.

Beijing has issued a yellow alert for the gale.