A sandstorm will hit parts of northern China in the next three days, the China Meteorological Administration (CMA) forecast on Wednesday.

Sandstorms or floating dust are expected in the south Xinjiang Basin, west Inner Mongolia, the Hexi Corridor region in Gansu and in the northeast of northwestern China.

Beijing experienced its first sandstorm this year in late March and Shanghai, the country's financial hub, was blanketed with floating dust early in April.

Eleven to 15 sandstorms are forecast in northern and northwestern China this spring, according to a previous CMA forecast.

(Xinhua News Agency April 11, 2007)