Natural Disasters in Beijing, China The purpose of this article is to explore the natural hazards experienced in Beijing. During my research about Beijing, I noticed that there was a lot of information about different types of dangers that occur frequently. These dangers are caused by Beijing's natural climate, described as monsoon climate. This climate creates frequent droughts, sandstorms and a very rainy summer. In this article, I will discuss Beijing's natural climate and natural disasters that occur within the city. Climate Beijing has very predictable seasons and a climate that is described as continental monsoon. This climate is due to the East Asian monsoon, defined as a monsoon flow that transports moist air from the Indian Ocean and Pacific Ocean to East Asia. This particular monsoon flow is characterized by a hot, rainy summer and a cold, dry winter ("East Asian Monsoon"). In the diagram below from NC State University you can see how a monsoon climate works. In Beijing, in particular, summers run from approximately June to September and are hot, humid, and wet. The majority of precipitation occurs in July and August and accounts for approximately 75% of annual precipitation ("Beijing Climate/Weather"). Autumn is considered the best season of the year with pleasant weather and the best air quality of the year. Autumn is a short season that lasts from September to October and is often referred to as the "golden season". Winter is a much longer season that runs from early November to March and is described as cold and dry. Very little snow falls in Beijing, causing frequent droughts. Spring runs from early April to late May making it another very...... middle of paper....... March 06, 2014. .Xinhua. “Beijing suffers worst winter drought in 60 years.” I want the China Times. Np, 02 February 2011. Web. 22 March 2014. .Xinhua. “Beijing's winter drought is probably the longest in 60 years.” Chinese newspaper. Xinhua, 01 February 2011. Web. 22 March 2014. .Xinhua. "Record Rainfall Replenishes Beijing's Water Supplies." Xinhua. Np, July 23, 2012. Web. April 1, 2014. .Zhenglai, Re. “Beijing Winter Drought Likely to Be Longest in 60 Years.” Popular online newspaper. Xinhua, 01 February 2011. Web. 24 March. 2014. .