Beijing Hit by Sandstorm and Cold Snap, Citizens Wonder “Can We Still Survive?”

Recently in Beijing, the weather has been extremely abnormal. From morning till night on March 26th, the official Beijing authorities issued warnings for sandstorms, strong winds, cold snaps, and even earthquakes. This unusual weather has sparked concerns among the citizens, with some lamenting, “Can we still survive this?”

According to official reports from Mainland China on March 26th, a sandstorm warning was issued at 2 p.m. in Beijing. Later in the afternoon at 4 p.m., warnings for forest fires and cold waves were also issued.

This severe sandstorm not only hit Beijing but marked the first widespread sandstorm across China in 2025, impacting provinces such as Xinjiang, Gansu, Ningxia, Inner Mongolia, Liaoning, Shaanxi, Shanxi, Hebei, Shandong, Tianjin, Henan, Sichuan, Hubei, and more.

The sandstorm reached the level of a severe sandstorm, reducing visibility to less than 30 meters in many areas. This not only disrupted transportation but also posed health threats to respiratory systems and agricultural crops. Forecasters predict that this sandstorm will persist until the 31st of March.

On the same day, the Beijing Meteorological Bureau issued a blue alert for strong winds at noon. Streets in Beijing were strewn with fallen road signs and billboards due to the powerful winds, with numerous reports of trees being broken by the gusts.

One resident shared on social media that despite weighing 140 kilograms, they were almost blown away by the wind. “Today, with strong gusts, I walked on a windy street after dropping my child off in the morning. The wind was so intense that it almost sent me flying to the Western Heaven, blowing me across the road,” they wrote.

In the afternoon, the Beijing Meteorological Bureau also issued a cold wave warning.

Officials forecasted that from March 26th to 28th, the nighttime temperatures in the next three days would drop to around 8°C, with plains areas reaching lows of approximately 1°C. The weather suddenly transitioned from a warm spring to winter.

On the 27th, the Beijing Meteorological Bureau continued to issue blue alerts for strong winds and cold waves, stating that the cold wave would begin to affect Beijing starting on the 27th with temperatures steadily dropping. By the 28th to the 29th, temperatures would hit the lowest point of this spell, with highs around 10°C and lows just above 0°C, a significant drop from previous days.

Additionally, late on the 26th, an earthquake struck Hebei, causing strong tremors in Beijing. Residents in the Daxing district received earthquake alerts on their phones, with the epicenter located 23.1 kilometers away in Anci, Hebei, measuring a magnitude of 4.6 with intense shaking reported.

Since mid-March, Beijing has been experiencing persistent pollen allergies, with cedar and cypress pollen visibly dancing in the wind, four times more intense than the same period last year.

The extreme weather in Beijing has sparked heated discussions among many citizens. Some expressed, “We might not survive this day.” Others commented, “Beijing has reached a point where it’s no longer just about livability but survival.” A netizen remarked, “Workers and students in Beijing have turned into vacuums for dust and pollen.”

Reflecting on the events of the 26th, a Beijing resident summarized, “A day of powerful winds, an earthquake in the early morning, pollen levels off the charts, and sporadic sandstorms.”

Mr. Li, a Beijing resident, expressed his confusion over dressing appropriately, “I don’t know how to dress anymore. The day before yesterday, I was hot in a sweater, but yesterday, I was cold in the same one. The strong winds almost swept me off my feet.”

An internet professional in Beijing recently wrote, pondering over the weather, “Is this Beijing’s way of getting rid of people?” She added, “The highest temperature in Beijing in recent days was 27°C, but next week it’s going to drop back down to 3°C. The fluctuating temperatures, coupled with strong winds and increasing pollen and dust levels, have caused even someone like me who has never had allergies to develop allergic rhinitis, making work and life incredibly tough.”