Beijing was hit by a light sand storm on Monday as northwest winds blew through the city changing the color of the sky to orange, says the China Meteorological Administration (CMA).

By late afternoon, however, winds had subsided somewhat and blue skies returned.

At midday visibility was less than 10 kilometers and people were advised to restrict outdoor activities, said Sun Jun, a CMA senior engineer.

Some areas in neighboring Hebei Province and Tianjin city experienced the same conditions, while sand storms swept across the southeastern part of Inner Mongolia and the western part of Liaoning.

Over the next three days, the central, western and southeastern parts of Inner Mongolia, the southwestern part of northeast China and the southern part of Xinjiang can expect similar weather.

(Xinhua News Agency May 8, 2007)