A dust storm from northern China is forecast to affect Shanghai on the afternoon & night of Feb 22, causing moderate PM10 pollution. Impact expected to end by midday Feb 23. Residents advised to reduce outdoor activities.
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Dust Storm Approaches: Blowing Sand Set to Affect Shanghai This Afternoon Into Night
On February 21, a dust storm swept across multiple parts of North China, becoming the widest-reaching and most intense dust event so far this year. In Beijing, strong winds mixed with blowing sand sharply reduced visibility, drawing widespread public attention.
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Early the next morning—February 22 at 06:00—the National Meteorological Center issued a blue alert for sandstorms. Driven by cold air and strong winds, the center forecast that from 08:00 on February 22 to 08:00 on February 23, a large swath of regions would experience blowing sand or floating dust, including: eastern and southern Xinjiang; western Inner Mongolia; northeastern Qinghai; central Gansu; most of Ningxia; most of Shaanxi; south-central Shanxi; northern Liaoning; central Jilin; southern Hebei; Henan; southern Shandong; most of Anhui; Jiangsu; Shanghai; most of Hubei; and northern Zhejiang.
Where the dust has traveled overnight
After a night of transport, the dust plume's footprint became increasingly visible through on-the-ground reports and real-time monitoring.
Beijing, which had been heavily affected the day before, returned to blue skies, and its air quality index improved to "excellent."
Some online users posted images suggesting that dust had reached Xining.
In Taiyuan, locals reported that pollution levels had "gone off the charts," describing conditions consistent with a sharp deterioration in air quality.
By 11:00 on February 22, data from the national real-time urban air-quality platform showed that parts of Hebei, Shanxi, Inner Mongolia, Henan, Shaanxi, Gansu, Ningxia, Anhui, and Jiangsu had reached "severe pollution" levels.
Shanghai's neighbor turns hazy as PM10 surges
The dust transport was especially evident in Jiangsu, Shanghai's neighboring province, where PM10 concentrations rose noticeably.
Monitoring updates indicated that:
Xuzhou and Huai'an had reached severe pollution.
Nantong, Yancheng, Taizhou, and Suqian were at heavy pollution levels.
This sharp PM10 increase next door raised an immediate question for residents: When will it reach Shanghai—and how bad will it get?
When the dust reaches Shanghai—and when it ends
As of 12:15, Shanghai had not yet been significantly affected, and its air quality remained "excellent." However, @Shanghai Environment warned that from the afternoon into the night on February 22, Shanghai was expected to see a short-term pollution episode, with PM10 reaching "moderate" or worse due to dust transport from the north.
According to the city's Ecology and Environment Bureau, in the early hours of February 23, Shanghai's prevailing wind would shift to a northeasterly, allowing the dust mass to gradually pass through. The bureau said the dust impact would largely end around midday, with air quality improving back to good-to-fair levels.
Why this dust event formed: dry source regions and powerful winds
Experts attributed this dust episode to two main factors:
Exceptionally low precipitation in dust source areas
A strong cold-air system and intense winds
During periods of dust-driven pollution, authorities advised residents to reduce outdoor activities. If going out is necessary, people were urged to take personal protective measures.
Source: 新闻坊
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