Shanghai, the most populated city in China, is currently experiencing terrible pollution, with Tuesday’s reading being recorded at the very top of the five-level scale, which equates to severe pollution in the air. According to the Shanghai Daily, the last time the pollution level got this high was on April 2, 2007, but it lasted for a shorter period of time.

On Tuesday morning, a short rain turned into muddy showers all over the city, leaving cars covered, but the wetness in the air still didn’t work to reduce the pollution in the air by a substantial enough amount, because the Shanghai Environmental Protection Bureau was still recording its highest air pollution levels.

According to weather experts, the situation of high pollution in the city was caused by sandstorms in the northern part of the country. “The longer the distance the sand-filled storm or wind travels, the smaller the particulate matters in the air”, said Dong Wenbo of Fudan University. “Given the distance the sandstorm has travelled before reaching Shanghai, rain can only help bring down a small portion of the relatively bigger particulate matter in the air to ease instead of effectively avoiding pollution”.

Weather professionals are predicting more rain and winds that come from cleaner areas to sweep through, making the situation better.