Yesterday 10:05

It is spring in Beijing with the cherry trees blossom in every park. With spring also comes another "sign of spring" - the annual spring sandstorms. This means a few months of dust and dirt blowing through town like a vacuum cleaner on reverse, and when it gets bad, conditions can be downright apocalyptic.

The image below was taken yesterday morning from Landmark Towers on the North East corner of the Third Ring Road. Photo: Coeurdelion

2008 is looking especially grim, according to the Beijing Meteorological Station, which is predicting as many as 11 days of dust storms this year due to a warm winter and less rainfall in the desert areas surrounding the capital.
Recent years have seen an average of 9.7 days of dust storms, though last year saw only three blow through town.

Today the weather is much better even if you still can see the yellow tone in the sky.