Pollution in Beijing

Smog Plus Storm Sends Beijing Into Darkness At Noon

Business Insider,

4 June, 2013

Earlier today, Mark MacKinnon, senior international correspondent Canada's Globe and Mail, tweeted an image showing just how welcoming Beijing was at noon.

Mark MacKinnon/马凯 @markmackinnon

Allegedly, it's noon in Beijing. #smogmeetsstorm http://twitpic.com/cv5skm 

4:41 PM - 4 Jun 2013

It appears that thanks to a combination of stormy weather and the Chinese capital's notorious smog problem, Beijing at 12pm was looking a little more like Beijing at 12am.

Other photos posted to Weibo are just as remarkable:

Weibo via @lvshi798

A Twitter account run by the US Embassy in Beijing reported that China's air quality was at "unhealthy" levels at noon — actually quite good for the city. And while today's phenomenon seems to be a rare combination of elements, over the past year there has been growing concern about the level of air pollution in China — at points recorded air pollution levels have reached 40 times the standard set by the World Health Organization.