Strong Winds Sweep Across the Country, “Guangdong Sandstorm” Trends

In recent days, a wide-ranging and intense wind has rapidly swept across China from north to south. On April 13, a sandstorm crossed mountains and arrived in Guangdong Province. The air quality in Guangzhou, Foshan, and Jiangmen has deteriorated to severe pollution levels. The topic of the “Guangdong sandstorm” has become a hot search and sparked heated discussions.

On April 12, strong winds bringing cooler temperatures and sandstorm weather hit the central and eastern regions of China. Under the influence of the strong winds, sand and dust spread from north to south, crossing the Yangtze River and reaching the southern Guangdong region. Dust weather appeared in most parts of the southern region, leading to poor air quality. This is the most extensive sandstorm weather event affecting China this year.

According to the monitoring system of the Guangdong Provincial Department of Ecology and Environment, at 11 a.m. on April 13, the AQI (Air Quality Index) of 21 cities at or above the prefecture level in Guangdong was above 110. Among them, Guangzhou, Foshan, Shaoguan, and Jiangmen had AQI levels exceeding 300. Guangzhou had the worst air quality, with an AQI of 320 and PM10 reaching 436 μg/m³.

According to real-time monitoring data from the Guangzhou Air Quality Publishing System, at 11 a.m. on April 13, the average AQI in Guangzhou reached 320, indicating severe pollution.

On April 13, the official Weibo account of the Guangzhou Ecology and Environment Bureau stated that since the night of April 12, Guangzhou has been severely affected by widespread sandstorm weather, resulting in a significant drop in air quality with PM10 exceeding standards. It is expected that the sandstorm process will continue to affect Guangzhou on April 13.

Around 11 a.m. on the 13th, the Guangzhou Weather Network posted on Weibo that due to the influence of the northern sandstorm weather moving southward, the PM10 concentration in Guangzhou significantly increased. Visibility in the Yuexiu District and Tianhe District of Guangzhou was less than 10 kilometers. Starting from 11:25 a.m. on the 13th, a yellow alert for haze was in effect in the Yuexiu District and Tianhe District of Guangzhou.

As of 1:20 p.m., apart from the Conghua District, the haze warning in Guangzhou was extended to the other 10 districts.

According to a Weibo post by the Guangdong Weather Network, as of 1:05 p.m. on the 13th, there were a total of 14 yellow haze warnings in effect in Guangzhou and Foshan.

A netizen from Guangdong commented, “A powerful and rare super typhoon carrying sand and dust is rolling in, turning the sky over Guangzhou a muddy yellow.”

Waking up, many residents of Dongguan detected a distinct “sand dust smell.”

“The sky is hazy, and the air feels heavy with a strong smell of sand dust!”

“Breathing feels dusty, when will this end? Checking the weather forecast on my phone, it’s the first time I’ve seen heavy pollution in Dongguan?”

“Unbelievable! It’s the first time I’ve seen sand dust blown to Dongguan!”

On April 12, Hubei, Shanghai, Zhejiang, and other regions were also affected by the southward movement of cold air, resulting in strong winds with local wind forces exceeding level 10.

Xin Xin, the chief analyst of the Chinese Weather Network, explained that due to the influence of the strong wind weather, dust weather also appeared in many southern regions. The PM10 concentration in Yunnan, Guizhou, Guangxi, and other areas increased, and air quality index in many regions of Jiangnan exceeded normal levels, with Nanchang recording a PM10 concentration of 1240 micrograms per cubic meter at 12 p.m., which is very rare.

At 6 a.m. on April 13, the China Meteorological Administration continued to issue a blue alert for sandstorms. Due to strong surface winds and sand transport, from 8 a.m. on April 13 to 8 a.m. on April 14, many parts of the country are expected to experience sand or dust weather, including the northern and southwestern parts of Guangdong, eastern Guangxi, and the northern and western parts of Hainan.

Meteorologist Sun Qianqian stated that although sand and dust have reached southern China before, the current situation is rare. The intense wind pushing the sand dust southward rapidly, along with deep upper-level troughs and strong lifting dynamics, has led to higher concentrations and heights of sand dust, thus transmitting them farther south.

This process is primarily characterized by blowing dust or suspended dust, falling short of the intensity of a sandstorm. Among these, suspended dust indicates a condition with no or little wind, thick haze, and visibility less than 10 kilometers; blowing dust refers to windy conditions with considerable haziness and visibility between 1 and 10 kilometers; while a sandstorm is characterized by strong winds, intense haziness, and visibility less than 1 kilometer.

The China Meteorological Administration continued to issue orange alerts for strong winds and blue alerts for sandstorms on the morning of April 13. According to Upstream News on the 13th, there will still be strong wind weather in the areas north of the Yangtze River, while most parts south of the Yangtze River will continue to experience sand dust disturbances, reaching as far south as Hainan Island.