Cold air continues its way into eastern areas

The National Meteorological Center said on Monday morning that cold air will continue to move eastward, bringing strong wind and dust to areas north of the Huaihe River－the dividing line for the nation's northern and southern regions.

Low temperatures will also hit those areas, and the Inner Mongolia autonomous region may experience snowy and rainy weather because of the cold air.

Provinces in southwestern China as well as Hainan and Taiwan are expected to see heavy rain on Wednesday and Thursday because of the cold air, according to the National Meteorological Center.

Strong winds hit Beijing at 2 am on Monday－the strongest gales to hit the capital this autumn－according to the Beijing Meteorological Bureau.

The capital was also affected by dusty weather, with a blue alert lifted at 10:15 am.

However, a yellow alert for strong winds remained active on Monday, warning residents to beware of falling objects and low temperatures.

Around 7:50 am on Monday, a billboard near the city's Chaowai Soho complex was blown down by the strong wind, hurting a passerby, according to the complex's weibo. The injured passerby is still receiving treatment, but the injuries are not life-threatening.

Ding Yu, a 29-year-old from Beijing, joked that he was almost blown away by the strong wind on Monday morning.

"When I stepped out in the community, I felt the strong wind and thought my face was twisting," he said, laughing. "I ran back home and added a coat as the temperature was rather low because of the wind."

Beijing is not alone. The provinces and regions in northern China including Gansu, Inner Mongolia and Hebei have also experienced strong gales since Sunday as a round of cold air affects the nation.

Beijing and provinces and regions including Inner Mongolia and Shanxi were hit by dusty weather.

Many cities in northern China reported serious pollution with PM10 readings exceeding 500 micrograms per cubic meter, with the highest reaching hit 967 mcg per cubic meter, according to the National Joint Research Center for Tackling Key Problems in Air Pollution Control.

The center said in a news release on Monday that the dust in sandy areas in northern China has not fully frozen because the region's average temperature from late September has been higher than in previous years.

The dust is then transported with the assistance of the cold air to other northern and even southeastern provinces.

The dust is forecast to affect areas such as Shanghai and northern Zhejiang province on Tuesday, bringing air pollution to these areas, according to the center.