This year's first sandstorm hit Minqin County of northwest
China's Gansu Province on Friday, the China
Meteorological Administration (CMA) said on Saturday.
The sandstorm started at 11:28 AM, with a minimum visibility of
600 meters, and died down an hour later, according to the CMA.
Minqin County, located between the Badain Jaran desert and the
Tengger desert, has seen 94 percent of its area turn into desert as
a result of years of erosion by wind and sand.
Deserts have advanced an average three to four meters into the
remaining land each year. Last year, they advanced 6.19 meters,
statistics from the local meteorological bureau showed.
The county suffered only 14 sandstorms last year, compared with
around 26 on average. The most severe storm brought visibility down
to 100 meters in April.
(Xinhua News Agency January 28, 2007)