(Yicai Global) May 5 -- China's worst sandstorm this year struck yesterday, with more than 10 provinces and municipalities affected and its influence felt across most of the 1.5-million-square-kilometer northern region.

The storm was exceptionally large and intense, Chinanews.com reported. Satellite images showed a highly visible sand belt forming in the north areas, while particular matter 10 (MP10) concentration was higher than 1,000 micrograms per cubic meter in Inner Mongolia, Beijing and Hebei.

Other major regions hit by the storm include:

Gansu

Heilongjiang

Jilin

Liaoning

Ningxia

Shaanxi

Shanxi

Tianjin

Xinjiang

China, particularly the north, is susceptible to sandstorms in spring due to raised winds blowing sand from the Gobi and other deserts across the country.