China on travel alert: Cancelled trains and travel chaos as Beijing shuts down amid typhoon-like wind

Northern China is bracing for typhoon-like gales this weekend, with the Chinese capital of Beijing postponing major sporting events, closing parks, suspending train services and warning its 22 million residents against nonessential travel.

A powerful current of cold air is forecast to sweep across northern provinces from Friday afternoon through the weekend, bringing unusually powerful winds, China Central Television (CCTV) reported, with gusts in some areas potentially reaching 150 kilometres per hour (93 miles per hour).

Strong winds carrying sand and dust from Mongolia are normal at this time of the year. But climate change has made weather conditions more extreme. Beijing has issued its first orange alert in 10 years, the second-highest in a four-tier colour-coded system for gales.

Temperatures in the Chinese capital could plummet by as many as 12 degrees Celsius on Saturday compared to Friday, CCTV said, with meteorologists warning that wind speeds recorded at some stations may rival or exceed April records dating back to 1951.

Heavy snow is expected to blanket parts of the Chinese region of Inner Mongolia as well as northeast China, while southern China could be hit by the most intense hailstorms so far this year, the state broadcaster added.