MK sports capital of China, Nov. 25, 2024. (Photo: Xinhua)" src="https://www.globaltimes.cn/Portals/0/attachment/2024/2024-11-26/9450bf9a-f408-4ad4-a9fe-7bc6c8c1389d.jpeg" />

Pedestrians walk on a street in Beijing, capital of China, Nov. 25, 2024. Photo: Xinhua

Beijing raised its wind warning to orange - the second-highest alert level - on Thursday as strong gales are expected to sweep through the capital city. It is reported that this is the first citywide orange wind warning in Beijing in nearly 10 years, according to Central Broadcasting Network.

According to weather forecast, affected by a strong cold front, northern China will experience historically rare, sustained gales, while eastern Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region and northeastern regions will face blizzards from Friday to Sunday. Southern China will see the strongest hailstorms, and sandstorms are expected in northwestern regions and Inner Mongolia.

In response, the National Meteorological Center issued a yellow gale warning and a blue sandstorm warning at 6 am on Thursday. The China Meteorological Administration also activated a Level III emergency response for major meteorological disasters.

Beijing municipal emergency management office immediately issued safety advisories, urging residents to minimize or avoid outdoor activities, stay clear of trees, billboards and temporary structures when outside, be vigilant against falling objects, and avoid non-essential travels.

The office issued orange wind warning public protection guidelines, which mentioned that outdoor sports or assembly activities should be stopped, and primary and secondary schools, kindergartens and related training institutions should stop outdoor activities. The public should avoid outdoor activities, and all outdoor fire use is strictly prohibited.

As meteorological departments predicted, from the afternoon of Friday to Sunday, Beijing will experience extreme gales, and a sharp temperature drop due to the cold front.

This cold air mass will cause strong winds in northern China and the eastern part of the Huanghuai region, particularly with instantaneous extreme winds reaching level-11 to 13, said the chief forecaster of the Central Meteorological Observatory Ma Xuekuan during a conference on Thursday.

"In terms of the extreme wind conditions from April each year in the northern China to the Yellow and Huaihe rivers region, winds of level-10 to 11 are relatively common, but wind speeds exceeding level-12 are historically rare. It can be said that such strong winds during this process in April are quite unusual," Ma said.

As for what a level-13 gust actually means, Ma provided an example: It can break trees with a diameter of about 30 centimeters. At the same time, extreme winds can also topple some billboards, temporary structures, and various transportation and agricultural facilities. Even lightweight vehicles like electric bikes and bicycles parked by the roadside could be blown over. Therefore, it is evident that the destructive power of level-12 and 13 gusts is indeed very strong.

Such strong winds are most likely to occur in mountainous areas with a narrow tube effect or mountain passes, according to Lei Lei, chief forecaster at the Beijing meteorological station. Gusts are expected to reach level-13 mainly in Yanqing, Changping, Mentougou, Fangshan, Huairou, Miyun and Pinggu districts. This means that in the high-altitude mountainous regions of western and northern Beijing, strong winds exceeding level-13 may occur due to the influence of certain topographical narrow tube effects.

On Tuesday afternoon, Beijing Mayor Yin Yong chaired a meeting to coordinate preparations for the approaching weather event.

Yin emphasized that all districts, departments, and units must avoid complacency and overconfidence. He urged full recognition of the weather's extreme intensity, long duration and wide impact, as well as the complexity of the response. Yin called for enhanced risk assessment, hazard inspections and comprehensive preparedness.

He also stressed the need to strengthen weather monitoring and early warnings, closely tracking the gale system to improve the timeliness and accuracy of forecasts. Authorities should dynamically update weather alerts and advisories, issuing warnings as early as possible. Based on warning levels, emergency plans should be activated proactively, accounting for extreme scenarios across sectors. Preventive measures must be implemented in forest fire prevention, city operations, building safety, transportation and daily life.

Furthermore, emergency response preparations must be reinforced to handle potential disruptions, Yin said. Public awareness efforts should be intensified, with media channels disseminating real-time forecasts and safety tips, urging the public to stay weather-aware, take personal safety precautions, and adjust travel plans. He also emphasized the importance of fully utilizing the municipal hotline to address residents' concerns promptly.

The orange gale warning has caused multiple outdoor sports activities to be postponed, including the Chinese Super League match at the Workers' Stadium and the Beijing Municipal Center Marathon.

Yu Zhanyang, a press officer with the Beijing Football Association, confirmed to the Global Times ahead of the announcement that the scheduled pre-match training and news conference on Thursday had been cancelled.

The match, featuring Beijing Guoan taking on Qingdao West Coast, is highly anticipated in Beijing as it will feature former Guoan player Shao Jiayi taking the reins of Qingdao. It remains unclear when the match will be rescheduled.

The Beijing MC Marathon, which was originally planned to be held on Sunday with the number of participants reaching 15,000, has been postponed to April 19, the organizers said Thursday.

Zhang Bin, a Beijing-based sports commentator, told the Global Times that the sports authorities' prompt adjustment showed that the safety of all participants remains the priority of hosting sports events.

"It is very considerate to postpone events due to extreme weather as such conditions pose a threat to everyone's safety," Zhang said.

The windy weather will also affect the normal operation of the Beijing Capital International Airport to a certain extent, and some flights may be canceled or delayed, according to the Beijing Daily. The airport has formulated a prevention and response work plan and held a meeting to carry out a netting-type safety hidden danger investigation on the whole field and process to sort out the sources of dangers and weak links, so as to ensure that flights are operated in a safe and orderly manner.