The largest sandstorm day in the north has hit the

From today (March 20) to the 23rd, a new wave of all-powerful cold air has affected most regions of China, bringing together cooling, dust, rain, snow, and strong convective weather. Today, the strong wind and dust weather in the northwest region has been put on line. The day after tomorrow, it will sweep eastward across many places such as North China and Northeast China, or develop into the largest dust weather process in the north this year. With the cold air moving southward, the south will also encounter the largest severe convection weather since this year from 21st to 24th. Six provinces including Zhejiang, Jiangxi, Guangdong and other provinces will be hit by rainstorm, accompanied by thunderstorms, gales and hail, so it is necessary to strengthen prevention.

The wind blows and the sand rises! Beijing, Tianjin, Hebei and other places will have their third sandstorm weather this year

The impact of this versatile cold air on the north has begun today, with sand and dust weather occurring in many areas in the northwest. Around 14:00, floating dust or sand appeared in the western Xinjiang Basin and the central and western Gansu Province, with local winds of over 10 degrees. At one point, the Yumen gust in Gansu Province reached 11 degrees, and visibility was generally around 2 to 7 kilometers.

This afternoon, Gaotai in Gansu Province encountered strong wind and dust weather. (Image/Gao Lei)

From the 21st to the 22nd, the impact of sand and dust will expand eastward. There are blowing sand or floating dust weather in Inner Mongolia, Shaanxi, Shanxi, Beijing, Tianjin, Hebei, and the central and western regions of Northeast China. The main period of sand and dust weather in Beijing is from the early morning to the morning on the 22nd, and early peak travel may be affected. This will be the third sandstorm weather in Beijing, Tianjin, and Hebei this year, and it will also be the largest sandstorm process in the north.

Why are dust storms so frequent in the north this year? According to Zhang Juan, a meteorological analyst at China Weather Network, since March, there has been relatively little precipitation in most parts of northern China. The temperature in sand source areas such as Mongolia and northwest China is significantly higher, and the surface is basically free of snow cover. Once there is cold air intrusion, it is extremely easy to cause sand and dust weather.

In addition to the impact of sand and dust, the cooling power of this cold air cannot be underestimated. In most northern regions, the cooling range ranges from 4 to 6 ℃, with local temperatures exceeding 10 ℃. The north and northeast of North China will be the core regions for cooling in the north. The highest temperature in the northeast will generally be above 15 ℃ today and tomorrow, and will drop to around 5 ℃ 23 days ago and later.

The cold air moving southward stimulates large-scale strong convection in the south, and local rainstorm in Hunan, Jiangxi and other provinces is pouring

Starting on the 21st, this cold air will gradually descend to the south, merging with warm and humid air currents, or triggering the largest severe convective weather in the south this year. On the 21st, there will be heavy to rainstorm in central Hunan, northern Jiangxi, southern Anhui and Zhejiang, and some areas will have strong convective weather such as thunder and lightning, short-term heavy rainfall, etc.

Zhang Juan introduced that the 22nd and 23rd will be the core period of this severe convective weather. At that time, cold and warm air will collide head-on, and the main rainfall areas will continue to press south. There will be rainstorm in Zhejiang, Jiangxi, Hunan, Fujian, Guangdong and Guangxi, and the rainfall may also be accompanied by strong convective weather such as thunder and lightning, strong wind, and short-term strong rainfall.

In general, the severe convective weather this time is mainly concentrated in the south of the Yangtze River and South China, where the south of the Yangtze River is mainly characterized by short-term strong rainfall, thunderstorms, strong winds, etc; The intensity of warm and humid air flow in South China is stronger, and severe convective weather is more complex. In addition to short-term strong rainfall, thunderstorms, and strong winds, there may also be weather events such as hail and squall lines. The above areas need to be alert to geological disasters that may be caused by heavy rainfall. The public should pay close attention to early warning and prediction information and try to stay away from areas prone to secondary disasters such as mountainous areas and rivers.

In addition, under the combined influence of cold air and rainfall, many places in the south will also join the ranks of the temperature plunge around the weekend. There are significant differences in temperature between the south of the Yangtze River and the eastern part of the southwest region. In provincial capital cities, the highest temperatures in Nanjing, Hangzhou, and other places around the 24th will all be in single digits. The public should pay attention to timely adding clothes to keep warm and beware of colds. (Text/Jiang Yi Data Support/Zhang Juan)