On Tuesday, dust-filled air enveloped areas around the shrinking Poyang Lake in East China’s Jiangxi province. Photo: Cai Yingli, special contributor/Caixin

Visitors take shelter at the Laoye Temple complex during the sandstorm. The attraction is located near Poyang Lake. Photo: Cai Yingli, special contributor/Caixin

Strong winds mess up visitors’ hair at the Laoye Temple scenic area. Photo: Cai Yingli, special contributor/Caixin

A boat navigates Poyang Lake as bad weather lowered visibility. Media reports said the gusts of dust and sand came from the dried-up lake bed. Photo: Cai Yingli, special contributor/Caixin

The storm shrouds sand mining ships moored on Poyang Lake in dust. The lake has shrunk by 80% since the drought began in July. Photo: Cai Yingli, special contributor/Caixin

Clouds of dust cover the sky over Poyang Lake’s second bridge. Photo: Cai Yingli, special contributor/Caixin

Sand and dust obscure Lushan city’s Shaling area on the western side of Poyang Lake. Photo: Cai Yingli, special contributor/Caixin

Sand and dust hide the road at Shaling. Jiangxi’s drought has lasted more than 80 days, affecting almost all of its counties and towns. Photo: Cai Yingli, special contributor/Caixin