4月15日傍晚，北京出现沙尘天气。北京市气象台17时40分发布沙尘暴黄色预警信号，受沙尘影响，可吸入颗粒物（PM10）浓度高，预计为重度污染。据报道，北京城区上一次出现沙尘暴还是在2002年3月20日，此次大范围沙尘暴是近13年来北京遭遇的最强沙尘天气。
Photo taken on April 15, 2015 shows the Tiananmen Square enveloped in sandstorm in Beijing. Beijing was hit by moderate gale from Wednesday evening to night, and Beijing Meteorological Observatory has issued a yellow alert for sandstorm on Wednesday afternoon. (Xinhua/Lan Hongguang)