Beijing's bustling streets were eerily empty on Saturday as forecasters warned of potentially record-breaking winds sweeping across northern China. Residents were advised to stay inside the city's perimeter, where winds could gust up to 92 miles per hour.
The winds, originating from a polar vortex in Mongolia, have already uprooted over 400 trees and prompted the evacuation of nearly 7,000 individuals by Saturday morning. Turned into a scene from a disaster flick, the dusty winds rattled windows and created havoc, including the cancellation of approximately 340 flights by China Southern Airlines.
"This wind felt like it was alive," recalled Yang Bobo, a finance student, describing the night as filled with eerie sounds of howling gales. Amid fears for safety, local authorities postponed weekend sports events, including a marathon slated for Sunday, and advised the public against all nonessential travel.
By evening, temperatures had drastically dropped, a steep fall from the recent 80-degree weather, with forecasts predicting a high of merely 57 Fahrenheit. The storm's impacts extended beyond China, prompting wind warnings in South Korea and Japan due to the same weather patterns.
