Watch: Meteorologists in China battle sandstorm to launch weather balloon

According to the China Meteorological Administration, the sandstorm driven by strong winds arrived in Erenhot on Tuesday and reduced visibility in the city.

ERENHOT, China – A video posted Wednesday shows meteorologists battling to launch a weather balloon during a sandstorm in the city of Erenhot in northern China.

Located near the border between China and Mongolia, Erenhot lies in the Gobi Desert, a semiarid region that is no stranger to sandstorms and dust storms.

According to the China Meteorological Administration, a sandstorm driven by strong winds arrived in Erenhot on Tuesday and reduced visibility in the city. It was the largest sandstorm of the season, the CMA said.

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The video starts with two meteorologists standing in a doorway of a building at the Meteorological Bureau of Erenhot.

The area appears Martian-like, as the building and its surroundings are cast in a dusty, orange color caused by the sandstorm whipping about.

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Piercing through the warm orange hues, a blue light shines brightly from inside the building, illuminating a large, white weather balloon.

Holding onto the balloon is one of the meteorologists, while the second meteorologist stands in the doorway. Then, the two men dash out of the building with the weather balloon in tow.

One of the men releases the balloon, which flails in the wind before flying off and disappearing into the sandstorm.

The sandstorm also swept through several other provinces in northern China, where weather warnings for high winds and low visibility were issued Wednesday, according to the CMA.

Footage shows dust causing low visibility in Jinan, the capital of Shandong Province. Commuters can be seen riding and biking through the haze caused by the sandstorm.

Officials with the Jinan Municipal Bureau of Culture and Tourism warned of low visibility and poor air quality through Thursday.

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