Dusty weather and sandstorms are expected to hit parts of China from the northwest Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region to the northeast provinces of Liaoning and Jilin in the next two days, said the China Meteorological Administration (CMA) Tuesday.

It would be the second sandstorm and third bout of dusty weather this year since the dust hit the northwest province of Gansu on February 29.

The CMA said southern Xinjiang, central and western Gansu province, most of Inner Mongolia, northern Shaanxi, and Liaoning and Jilin provinces would see dusty weather or sandstorms.

A sandstorm is defined as dusty weather with a visibility below 1,000 meters.

The CMA also forecast that the drought lingering eastern Inner Mongolia and northeast China would ease with rain and snow predicted on Tuesday and Wednesday, which will help lower the risk of forest fires.

(Xinhua News Agency March 11, 2008)