Extreme weather hits China again with egg-sized hail and heavy snow

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Egg-sized hail devastates eastern China city

A severe hail storm hit the city of Fuzhou in southern China’s Jiangxi province on Sunday, while northern Hebei province was covered in snow over the weekend, state broadcaster CCTV reported on Monday.

Hail the size of eggs fell on central Fuzhou, causing extensive damage to vehicles and buildings. In the city, bicycles and mopeds were seen torn from the road, commercial boards knocked down, and tree trunks fallen on the road.

“The hailstorm was so fierce that I ran at full speed to escape, but I was trapped,” said one resident.

The hailstorm took away the roofs of some residential buildings. The owners of those buildings have begun repair work to restore the roofs.

Authorities recommended residents pay close attention to the weather forecasts for the next few days and take precautions to ensure their safety and that of their belongings.

Likewise, in the northern province of Hebei, snow covered some areas of the city of Chengde, located north of Beijing, and temperatures reached minus five degrees Celsius, according to the station.

Extreme weather hits China with hail and snow

In recent weeks, China has faced extreme weather conditions.

On Saturday, a tornado hit the southern city of Guangzhou, capital of Guangdong province, killing five people.

Aerial images on Sunday showed devastated blocks in the most affected areas and small groups of buildings standing amid the destruction. Some buildings had lost their metal roofs.

Following the disaster caused by winds that reached 20.6 meters per second, according to the local meteorological center, authorities quickly mobilized rescue, repair, law enforcement, and other work groups to address the emergency.

The tornado, which knocked out power in the area, also injured 33 people on Saturday, authorities said.

Repair work is currently underway to restore power to the area, which was disrupted following the storm.

The disaster occurred a week after floods inundated cities in the densely populated Pearl River Delta in the south following record rains about two weeks ago. At least four people were killed in Guangdong province.

(With information from Reuters and AP)