Cold winds sweep Beijing, closing key sites, disrupting travel

China's capital hunkered down on Saturday as rare typhoon-like gales swept northern regions, forcing the closure of historic sites and disrupting travel while bringing late snowfalls and hailstone showers in some areas.

Windows shook and cars were rocked by gusts of wind driven by a cold vortex from neighbouring Mongolia that sent temperatures plunging more than 12 degrees Celsius.

The winds, which started on Friday, are set to continue over the weekend, packing gusts of up to 150 kph (93 mph), the official Xinhua news agency said. They brought late snowfalls in Inner Mongolia and hailstones in southern China.

Beijing issued its second-highest gale alert this weekend, for the first time in a decade, warning 22 million residents to avoid non-essential travel as winds could potentially break April records dating from 1951.

By 11:30 AM, 838 flights had been cancelled at the capital's two major airports, the Flight Master tracking app showed, while its historic sights and parks were shut, with some old trees trimmed in preparation for the cold blast.

The winds forced the postponement of a half-marathon set for Sunday featuring humanoid robots competing with humans in a bid to showcase China's technological advances.

Sandstorms raging over a stretch from Inner Mongolia to the Yangtze River region crippled road travel in eight provinces, Xinhua and state broadcaster CCTV said.

Strong winds bringing sand and dust from Mongolia are routine in spring, but climate change has made weather events more extreme.