Beijing’s 22 million residents were asked to stay indoors on Saturday, as powerful winds swept across northern China. The winds toppled trees, disrupted travel and sports, and caused dust storms across the region.

The winds, which in Beijing reached 163 kmph on Saturday afternoon local time, stemmed from a polar vortex in Mongolia and sent temperatures plunging, accordingto the Chinese state news media.

Wind and rain began hitting the region on Friday. By Saturday afternoon, more than 800 trees had been knocked over and nearly 7,000 people had been evacuated in Beijing, the state media reported.

Overnight into Saturday morning, dust storms swirled across the country’s north, including in Beijing, the state broadcaster China Central Television said.

Yang Bobo, a post-graduate student studying finance in Beijing, said Friday night’s gale was “wailing like ghosts and howling like wolves”.

The wind dislodged a glass door at her school, she said, sending it crashing to the ground.

“I didn’t go out last night since I value my life,” Yang said through text messages on Saturday.

Winds rattled windows in Beijing, and damaged utility poles and windows in central China’s Henan province, according to videos shared on Weibo, a Chinese social media platform.

The city authorities in Beijing advised residents to avoid non-essential travel, and postponed soccer matches that had been scheduled for the weekend.

New York Times News Service