Chinese brackets for strong winds with millions who said to stay indoors

Workers were told to hurry home, classes were suspended, and outdoor events were canceled as China’s northern braces for extreme winds this weekend.

Millions have urged to stay indoors, and some state media warn that people weighing less than 50 kg (110 pounds) can be “easily blown up”.

Winds reaching 150 km / h (93 km / h) are expected to sweep Beijing, Tianjin and other parts of the Hebey region from Friday to Sunday, when the cold whirlwind passes southeast of Mongolia.

For the first time in decades, Beijing published an orange gales-two-two-level notification in the four-level weather warning system.

Strong winds, sweeping from Mongolia, are not uncommon, especially at this time of year. But it is expected that future winds will be stronger than everything you have seen.

Beijing’s temperature is expected to drop 13 degrees Celsius within 24 hours, when the strongest winds were on Saturday, the authorities said.

“This strong wind is extraordinary, it lasts for a long time, affects a wide area and is very catastrophic,” the Beijing Meteorological Service said.

China measures the wind speed with a scale from level 1 to 17. The wind of level 11, according to China meteorological administration, can cause “serious damage”, while the wind of level 12 brings “extraordinary destruction”.

It is expected that the winds in this weekend range from level 11 to 13.

Several sports competitions, planned for the weekend, have been suspended, including the world’s first semi -marathon marathon in the world, which will now take place on April 19.

Parks and tourist attractions were closed because the authorities have told residents to avoid outdoor activities, while the construction work and train services were suspended.

Thousands of trees throughout the city have been backed or trimmed to prevent them from falling.

Officials have warned people to avoid entering the mountains and forests, where gusts are expected to be particularly strong.

While residents are down, social media users find humor in their plans for a delayed weekend.

“This wind is so smart that it starts on Friday night and ends on Sunday without breaking the work on Monday,” the user said.

Hashtags about strong wind, and a warning that those who weighing less than 50 kg could be swept away in trend in Chinese social media. One usibo user threw, “I’m so much food, only on this day.”

Beijing also made public notifications about forest fires and forbade people to start fires on the street.

The winds are expected to weaken on Sunday night.