<p>Capital Beijing and several provinces in China will be affected by thick, dense sandstorms that will severely affect visibility, Chinese weather authorities said on Wednesday.</p>.<p>The Central Meteorological Observatory issued yellow warning signals from Wednesday to early morning Thursday for Shaanxi, Shanxi, Hebei, Heilongjiang, Jilin, Liaoning, Shandong, Henan, Jiangsu, Anhui and Hubei provinces.</p>.<p>Many areas will have low visibility, weather forecasters said, cautioning drivers on speed. Sandstorms will gradually move south and then weaken, forecasters added.</p>.<p>China has a four-tier, colour-coded weather-warning system, with red representing the most severe warning, followed by orange, yellow and blue.</p>.<p>Beijing, which was also issued a yellow sandstorm warning, has experienced sand and dust storms over the past several days, causing pollution levels to drastically increase.</p>.<p>Photos on social media showed people riding bicycles through the city amidst swirls of dust, with one showing a bike seat covered in sand.</p>.<p>Beijing on Wednesday recorded an air quality index of 500, pushing the pollution level to 6 - considered very hazardous to human health, according to the Beijing Ecological Environment Monitoring Center.</p>.<p>The city faces regular sandstorms during March and April because of its proximity to the massive Gobi desert, as well as deforestation throughout northern China.</p>
<p>Capital Beijing and several provinces in China will be affected by thick, dense sandstorms that will severely affect visibility, Chinese weather authorities said on Wednesday.</p>.<p>The Central Meteorological Observatory issued yellow warning signals from Wednesday to early morning Thursday for Shaanxi, Shanxi, Hebei, Heilongjiang, Jilin, Liaoning, Shandong, Henan, Jiangsu, Anhui and Hubei provinces.</p>.<p>Many areas will have low visibility, weather forecasters said, cautioning drivers on speed. Sandstorms will gradually move south and then weaken, forecasters added.</p>.<p>China has a four-tier, colour-coded weather-warning system, with red representing the most severe warning, followed by orange, yellow and blue.</p>.<p>Beijing, which was also issued a yellow sandstorm warning, has experienced sand and dust storms over the past several days, causing pollution levels to drastically increase.</p>.<p>Photos on social media showed people riding bicycles through the city amidst swirls of dust, with one showing a bike seat covered in sand.</p>.<p>Beijing on Wednesday recorded an air quality index of 500, pushing the pollution level to 6 - considered very hazardous to human health, according to the Beijing Ecological Environment Monitoring Center.</p>.<p>The city faces regular sandstorms during March and April because of its proximity to the massive Gobi desert, as well as deforestation throughout northern China.</p>