23 January 2007
Sandstorms come early to Lhasa
(Xinhua) Chinese weather forecasters have warned of transport disruptions in Tibet after the sandstorm season hit the region two months early, Xinhua reported. Lhasa was cloaked in dust after winds gusting up to 79 kmph forced flight cancellations and left hundreds of people stranded at the airport, the Chinese state news agency said. According to the regional meteorological station, the early arrival of sandstorms is to be blamed on winter's "very low rainfall" - only 0.1 mm - and high temperatures. Lhasa recorded a daytime high temperature of 20.4 Celsius (69 Fahrenheit) earlier in January, a 10th of a degree below the record set in 2001, a meteorological official said.