BEIJING - Beijingers woke Friday to see a yellowish-grey sky that heralded the year's first apparent sandstorm, as winds that had whipped up dust in China's arid northwest Thursday hit parts of the city.
北京——周五时，北京醒来看到灰黄色的天空，标志着今年第一次沙尘暴的来临，周四时风卷来中国西北干旱地区的尘土光临了北京的部分地区。
The municipal weather bureau said a cold current hitting northern China had swept dust into the capital, and the dust weather worsened Friday afternoon when wind speeds rose to 40 km per hour.
市气象局称，一股冷空气袭击了中国北方，将沙土刮到首都，沙尘天气在周五下午变得恶化，此时风速达到了每小时40公里。
But the sandstorm was not expected to last long, and the bureau forecast sunny weather for Saturday.
但是沙尘暴并没有持续太久，气象局预报周六是个艳阳天。
Shijingshan District in western Beijing and Changping district on the northern outskirts suffered the most from the storm, the bureau said on its website.
气象局在其网站上称，北京西部的石景山区，北面郊区昌平区受沙尘影响最厉害。
Beijing's environmental protection bureau said several of its downtown surveillance stations had detected higher than normal levels of particulate matter -- a major indicator of air pollution, at an average 500 mg per cubic meter.
北京环保局称，市区几个监测站监测到比悬浮颗粒的正常水平更高的情况——空气污染一个主要指标，平均值为每立方米500毫克。
In the outer Changping and Daxing districts, the level topped 800 mg per cubic meter, it said.
远郊昌平及大兴区，平均超出了每立方米800毫克。
Sandstorms were reported in many parts of China starting Thursday.
周四开始 在中国的许多地区都报导了沙尘暴。
Golmud City in the Qaidam Basin of the northwestern Qinghai Province reported the strongest winds in 30 years, with gales of 95 km per hour.
位于青海西北的柴达木盆地的格尔木市报告了30年的最大风力，每小时95公里的大风。
The sandstorm reduced visibility to 10 meters in the early hours of Thursday, said Zhang Jinong, a weatherman with the provincial meteorological bureau.
省气象局气象员张说，周四时沙尘降低了能见度到10米。
A sandstorm and temperature drops were also reported in Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region.
宁夏回族自治区也报导了沙尘及气温下降。
In the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, one of the traditional sources of Beijing's sandstorms, gales roared Thursday and Friday, and men and women wrapped themselves in scarves and wore masks.
在北京沙尘一个最主要来源地内蒙古自治区，周四和周五狂风大作，男人和女人们都带上围巾和口罩。
The regional weather bureau said the sandstorm would ease Friday night, but with a new cold current during the day, most parts of Inner Mongolia would experience a temperature drop of 6 to 8 degrees Celsius.
该地区气相局称，沙尘暴将在周五晚减弱，但是随着当天一股新的冷空气来临，内蒙古大部分地区将降温6-8度
The northeastern parts of the region should expect light snow Friday night and Saturday, it said
该地区的东北部在周五晚和周六将有小雪。
评论